Love & That Other Stuff
by scrappy12
Summary: Dealing with the tragic passing of her mother, Addison does all she can to move on and put her life back together and to look towards her future. With the challenges of love, life, and work she embarks upon the greatest journey of her life. Addisam
1. Chapter 1

Love & That Other Stuff

Chapter One- Just the Two of Us

Looking out at the waves clashing against each other that created such a beautiful melody that she had come to enjoy so early in the morning, Addison couldn't help but feel a piece of serenity in this moment as her thoughts always came so easily when she was taking in the sights of things. Getting a quick sip of her coffee to lament the taste that she had all ready had before in her mouth she then got up to head back inside to find boxes piling up in her living room. Taking a moment to access the mess that was soon forming in her living room, she had to remind herself that Sam was moving into her place and renting out his place to Amelia. Placing her cup down on the counter before she walked over to observe some of the stuff he was bringing into the house, Addison began to rummage through the closest box near her and couldn't help but laugh at the picture he had of himself back in med school when he was such an awkward med student as some began to describe him as before he came jogging down the staircase.

"I was afraid you were going to sit the day away out there" Sam said as he came up from behind her to put his arms around her waist as she continued to look on at his pictures

"I'm glad I came back inside because I'm clearly enjoying looking at these embarrassing pictures" Addison laughed as she just kept flipping through them

"Aw, Maya must have packed them in because they are definitely not something I wanted you to see" Sam said trying to take them away but Addison wouldn't let him "All right, you act like you don't have any embarrassing pictures that I have access to" he laughed as Addison just looked at him confused "I've been here long enough to know where you hide them" he said motioning to head back upstairs but was quickly stopped by Addison as she grabbed onto his arm to prevent him from going anywhere

"And I will give these back" Addison said as she handed the pictures over to Sam who just tossed the pictures to the side before she wrapped her arm around his neck to give him a few quick kisses "Is this everything? Is this the man cave you spoke of?" she laughed as she turned back around to observe all of his stuff

"I believe so. Though I will request that I have a pool table brought in along with the latest a greatest surround sound system for football Sunday" Sam smiled in hopes that she would agree

"Is this what it would be like if we got married…you wanting guy like items that take away from the serenity of my home?" Addison laughed as she teased him "I mean if I come second to a football game then we're gonna have problems" she added on

"No, I think if we get married it would be….amazing" Sam smiled as he began to unpack some of his stuff "How are you feeling?" he asked as Addison took a moment to access herself of how she was doing "Addison. Addison. Addison" he continued to call before she broke from her silence to notice a concerned Sam standing before her "Where were you right now? Are you okay?" he asked unable to hide his concern for her while he caressed her face

"I'm fine" Addison replied but knew Sam wouldn't buy that answer so easily "I'm fine" she then replied

"Maybe we should just relax for the day…we both have the day off, which is rare for the both of us. I can throw some steaks on the grill and watch some black and whites" Sam suggested to her

"No, I want to get you moved in…make it official, you know. I guess a part of me is just…I'm fine" Addison told him but she could still see that he wasn't buying that answer so she might as well tell him the truth "I miss her. She was a horrible mother and I miss her…I miss her" she said as tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably as she tried to turn away but he wouldn't let him do so

"Hey, don't turn away. I'm not, so neither should you. It's okay to miss her, she was your mother" Sam said softly to her as he just pulled her in closer towards him

"But she wasn't a mother Sam. She was an emotionally cut off woman, who only showed a glimmer of emotion when it came to her lesbian lover…I'm her daughter and I haven't even received that kind of emotion from her…then she…she takes her life all because of Susan" Addison cried

"I just think back to those last few days you had together. You were the happiest I'd ever seen you with her, and you were just genuinely happy" Sam said trying to remind her of the good in her mother as opposed to the bad "You remember that right?" he smiled at her as he kissed her on her forehead

"Yeah" Addison laughed in disbelief that he had gotten her to think of something else other than her anger towards Bizzy for her lack of childhood love "I had finally told her how I felt about her…I believe that I called her a cold hearted bitch" she laughed through the tears

"So you clearly got it off your chest" Sam laughed "You want to know what I think?" he asked her

"I'm sure you'll tell me anyways" Addison said as she burried her face in the crook of his neck as she just took in his scent

"I think that those last couple days meant the world to you, it won't make up for everything but it was just enough to help you understand her and her you. So its okay to be mad that you didn't get more of those moments, but just appreciate them a little bit more over the bad memories" Sam told her as he stroked her hair as she looked up at him as if she were a little girl once again

Sitting up on the island counter, Addison laughed as she watched Sam scurry around the kitchen getting things ready for her supposed cooking lesson for the day. Ever since the recent passing of her mother he had made it his mission to make her do things she swore she'd never do, and so far he had become pretty successful in doing so. A smile came to her face as she found him so sexy when he was in the kitchen that it nearly made thinking about her task nearly impossible when she had other things in mind for them to do. Turning around to see her objectifying him as a piece of meat, Sam just laughed to himself knowing exactly what she was thinking before he leaned over to grab the onion that was near him causing her to look at him confused as to where the onion would come into the scenario of what she had in mind.

"Uh…I've never done it with that" Addison said before she unleashed a slight laugh

"Get your mind out of the gutter, we're not going to have sex with an onion" Sam replied as he hit her on the leg with a wooden cooking spoon

"Can we bring that into the bedroom next time?" Addison laughed as he helped her down off the island counter so he could lead her over to the cutting board

"Cut" Sam demanded as Addison just obliged his wish

"You know, part of my fantasies about you have to do with you being in the kitchen…now that I'm doing the labor its kind of losing the horny effect of it" Addison said as he guided her hand as she cut the onion in half "My eyes. Their all watery right now" she complained as she put the knife down

"Its to be expected with an onion. Now cut it into fourths then just keep cutting it down into smaller pieces" Sam instructed her as she followed his instructions word for word

"What do I do next?" Addison asked him

"Oh, your eager now" Sam laughed as she just bumped him "Now cut your bell pepper" he told her as she then reached over for the green bell pepper and he once again guided her into the cut "And just do the same thing" he spoke softly into her ear

"If you do that then it's going to distract me" Addison turned to tell him as all he could do was laugh before she returned to cutting her bell pepper

"It's sort of like surgery isn't it?" Sam asked her as she began to get into it

"I wouldn't go that far but it is therapeutic" Addison laughed "So Nae called while we were at the grocery store, she supposedly hired a new sports medicine doctor to the practice" she told him as he walked over to the fridge to pull out the meat that they would eat for the night

"Yeah, Marcus King" Sam replied "She kept it hush hush for a while, but Maya spoiled that surprised" he laughed "He's pretty good" he then said

"Pretty good and pretty well known for being so young" Addison said "What is he like in his late twenties or something?" she asked

"Twenty-eight, so to young for all you cougars at the practice" Sam said not taking his attention away from seasoning the meat but did manage a laugh as he felt Addison's eyes on him

"He's no you. If you ever wondered why I didn't…it was because he was no you" Addison replied as a moment of silence came between him as he knew exactly who she was referring to "Sam?" she turned to look back at him continuing to prepare the meat but she knew that she had hurt him and that it was a subject that he struggled with

"Why? Why did you…you know?" Sam asked softly in his calm and steady tone

"It wasn't because of you. I was just dealing with everything about Bizzy and Susan, it just became overwhelming…" Addison told him

"And then the baby issue a long with the marriage issue, was that another added reason?" Sam asked her as all Addison could do was look towards him to see how much she had hurt the man that she loved. She hated that she had done this to him, to them

"Yes. That added to it, but it helped me realize that I didn't want to hurt you. I don't want us to be like Derek and I were" Addison said as they both went about their respective tasks in the kitchen

"I'm not mad" Sam replied softly before Addison walked over with her diced onions and bell peppers to place beside him

"But your hurt, which is understandable. I know my past gives you reason to worry or be cautious" Addison told him as she watched him intently "But I love you. I'm more sure of that than anything" she said

"I guess…" Sam said as he put the meat on the tray but couldn't control the emotions he had pint up in him before he just finally just set the meat down to just take a moment to breath "I just get worried that you may cheat in the future. I mean what if, what if we build this future together then secretly your unhappy and want someone else…I guess I'm scared of the investment" he said

"I can't promise you the future, not because I don't want to but because I can't. I just know that you're the one I want, you're the one I want to have my future and ending with, in every sense of the word I want to spend my life with you" Addison told him as she almost came to tears "I need you, and I know that makes me pathetic but I need you" she laughed in between tears before he quickly wiped away the tears that were falling from her eyes "And now I'm crying like a loser" she said as they both laughed

"I don't think your pathetic not by the slightest" Sam smiled at her as she reached over to hug him. Wrapping a single arm around her waist he kissed the top of her head to give her the reassurance she needed to know that his feelings were still very genuine towards her. She couldn't explain how she felt about Sam, he had been the biggest surprise in her life that she just never saw coming but she was thankful each day that he was with her and that they were together. When he smiled at her it made her melt like a teenager all over again, when he touched her it made her body go into overdrive, when he kissed her it just made her feel like she was on cloud nine, when he held her she felt like she needed to take in the scent of him just so she could remember it for a lifetime to come, and when they made love it just felt like she was a virgin all over again that couldn't get enough of him. She'd never felt so in love with someone like she had with Sam and that scared her at times because the greater the love, the greater the heartache.

After eating their dinner the couple cuddled up together on the sofa just watching the old classics on the movie channel while they shared a glass of wine. Resting her head against his chest as she wrapped her hands around his finely toned abs, she found herself going in and out of sleep as she felt his steady breathing to be like a melody to her that just sent her to sleep. Rubbing her back in a steady rhythm, Sam found himself intently watching the movie just thinking how these old movies always made life seem so simple when in reality it was the craziest of things. Beginning to stir awake once again she couldn't hide the fact that she was asleep as Sam began to notice her sudden movement. Letting out a laugh at how she looked Sam couldn't help himself, quickly hitting him with a pillow for making fun of her.

"Stop laughing at me" Addison told him as she continued to keep hitting him while he blocked her hits

"If you wanted to go to sleep than just go to sleep" Sam told her

"I'm trying to watch this movie with you. I never thought it'd be that long but I'm trying to stick it out" Addison laughed "Stop laughing" she said as he leaned over to give her a quick kiss

"Aw, I needed that" Sam said catching his breath "You picked the movie. You quote on quote said that it was a movie you always wanted to watch" he teased her

"Next time I'll check the minutes on the movie before making that statement" Addison said as she sat up to see a box sitting on the coffee table "What's that?" she turned to ask him in complete surprise

"Why don't you look and see" Sam told her as she checked his eyes to get some sort of confirmation before she slowly tossed the blanket to the side then extended her hand out to grab the box to unwrap it

"When did you put that there?" Addison asked him

"Well you've taken plenty of naps and you're a heavy sleeper" Sam laughed as Addison just smiled at him before leaning in to give him a quick kiss. Opening the box slowly she was a little saddened to see that there wasn't an engagement ring but a folded up piece of paper. "You should read it to me, I forget sometimes" he told her as she opened up the piece of paper and became overly emotional.

"Will you make a family with me?" Addison read in between the tears that were coming but did her best to keep it together "What does this mean?" she turned to ask him with her eyes all watery

"I want us to have a family together. I want to take that step with you. I know I was hesitant at first but with everything that's happened I've realize that we're not always guaranteed to have time. Anything can happen, but I know that I want a future with you and want to have a baby be a part of that future….or babies" Sam laughed as she quickly pulled him into a kiss

"You know this isn't going to be easy right? I mean my ovaries are as about as screwed up as they can be…one egg, that's all I got" Addison told him

"I only like one egg so it works for me. Too many eggs make me queasy" Sam joked

"I'm being serious here" Addison said trying not to laugh until he gave her another quick kiss to calm her down

"I like my chances with you" Sam smiled

"God, I love you so much" Addison smiled as she pulled him into another kiss this time letting it last a little longer. Just caught up in the overwhelming emotions they had for each other, neither he or she cared what was on the television screen as they were more focused on just being together in the moment.


	2. Baby Nerves

Chapter Two- Baby Nerves

Getting up to adjust her skirt as he just looked on the feature he loved most about the sexy red head, Sam nearly lost focus on the fact that he had to prepare for his consultation with one of his patients in less than an hour. Giving him a devilish smile as she looked back at him she slowly leaned over to grab his belt to hand to him as he just sat there shirtless from their recent sexual escapades in her office. Buttoning up her shirt as she walked over towards the curtains behind her desk so that the great California sun could shine through. For the past week they had taken in all the practice reps they needed to go full force with creating a baby, and he to admit that if he knew he'd have this much sex just for trying to get her pregnant then he probably wouldn't have protested at much at first to the idea. Finally putting on his piece of clothing, which was his dress shirt, he walked over towards her and immediately began to kiss her neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"If you keep doing that then you'll never make it to your consultation" Addison said secretly not wanting him to stop but knew they couldn't act like horny teenagers while at work

"I'm great at cramming. I crammed my way through med school, and I definitely could use another recharge" Sam said as he turned Addison towards him while trapping her within his arms before placing sweet kisses on the front sides of her neck "What's your schedule look like?" he asked in between kisses

"Full. Very full" Addison smiled playing hard to get but slowly weakened once he started to get her spot and from then on she couldn't contain the moans that she released nor his hands that roamed up her skirt

"Do you have time for an early appointment?" Sam whispered to her as he broke away from his concentration on her neck

"That depends. Is this business…or pleasure?" Addison asked seductively before she felt both of his hands rise underneath her skirt to slowly pull down her laced underwear before he kneeled down to toss them to the side

"Does that answer your question?" Sam smiled before she began to tease him with thought that she would kiss him or hold back.

"Aren't we becoming quite forward" Addison whispered in his ear before she slowly began to tug on his loosened belt so that his pants would drop down to the floor

"So I'm guessing you'll be taking that meeting?" Sam asked her

"Twenty minutes tops" Addison said as she glanced over at her clock before he quickly caught her lips with his. He began to devour her with each taste that he received of her to the point where there lips felt like they were going to fall of if they continued any longer. Picking her up on the desk, she wrapped her legs around his as she began to lower his briefs and within moments they found themselves engaging in another round of hot office sex. The pleasure became intoxicating to him so much so that he occasionally looked over at the clock to see how much longer he had on this pleasurable high with her, and he was more than glad to see that he had a sufficient amount of time to do the things he had planned to do to leave a lasting effect on her for the day. Her moans became like a melody in his ears as he knew he was hitting all the right spots, making her nearly passive to all his commands. Tightening up her grip she had on his legs so she could enjoy him fully, her head fell back as she tried to minimize the sound of her moans but found it hard to do so with the increasing stamina he was gaining. Lost in their aura of all things pleasurable they were quickly torn away from their deed by a knock at the door. Moving away quickly from each other to make themselves decent, the door quickly opened as Amelia looked on at the two acting suspiciously. Sam with his back turned towards her began to zip his pants up in a manner so that she could hear the sound of the zipper going up, while Addison adjusted her skirt once again.

"Okay, I've clearly walked in on some good old fashion office sex" Amelia laughed as the two began to laugh nervously

"What? No. We were just…fixing the desk" Sam lied as both Addison and Amelia looked at him with confusion as to why he thought that was a good lie to use

"Don't insult my intelligence on all things sex. Your zipping yourself up, and she's…got underwear on the floor" Amelia laughed once she saw the garment on the floor before Addison quickly kneeled down to grab her underwear

"You wanted something Amelia?" Addison asked desperately wanting to change the subject

"Oh, yeah. Sam and I are working with Mr. King today" Amelia said "I looked over the patients charts, and I'd like for you to take a look at a few of the scans if you could…that is if your not too busy getting busy" she teased towards the end

"Yeah, give me a good chance to meet Marcus. I've been a fan of his work" Sam said as he began to program it in to his phone "I guess this means that we won't be having lunch today" he then turned to ask Addison who looked on at her schedule

"Oh you two have had your fair share of time" Amelia smiled as she turned to leave the office "Save some for tonight, I'm sure you'll be thumping like bunnies over in the serenity house" she laughed as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

After delivering her last baby for the day, Addison couldn't help but feel anxious to one day be the one holding the baby at the end of the day after labor. It had been a pleasant surprise that Sam had changed his mind on the baby topic but she knew that even though he protested at first that he did want to have a child with her but just wanted the relationship to be at a point where adding a huge commitment wouldn't put too much strain on the relationship. She looked forward to doing all things baby shopping, so much so that she felt the need to stop by baby boutiques and claim she was just searching for a gift for a baby shower when in actuality she was looking for stuff she'd like to buy her own child. Stepping off the elevator before heading to her office she quickly heard shouting coming from Sam's office. Quickly heading over she could see Amelia in a near shouting match with slim, muscular man that she had come to believe was the infamous Marcus King.

"Can we bring it down a notch? I can hear you guys as soon as I step off the elevator" Addison said as she entered the office to see Sam sitting at his desk frustrated and annoyed because anything that took him from his calm demeanor always frustrated him while Naomi stood with her arms folded in the corner of the room as Amelia and Marcus sat in the chairs in front of Sam's desk.

"Yes, I agree. There has got to be a calm, civilized manner in handling this" Naomi said echoing what Addison had all ready stated earlier

"Yeah, and its called remove her from the case" Marcus fired back "You can't just go around suggesting things that scare the patients…the boy wants to play football, that's his dream and as his doctor I intend for him to have that dream" he said

"As his doctor you should be prescribing the best course of action for him instead of urging him on to play a sport that could kill him" Amelia replied

"And there is no way to consider said option by Dr. Sheperd?" Sam asked Marcus

"Look, people come to me so they do what they do best. The boy wants to play, and if I don't provide him with the treatment I feel is best until the offseason where we can fully weigh his option then he'll most likely go to some street pusher to get by" Marcus said

"He has a point" Naomi agreed as Amelia just turned to look at her "I don't like the situation but we've got to help him" she said

"So helping him means lying to him?" Amelia questioned

"Sometimes what we feel is best doesn't mean its always the choice the patient wants" Addison sighed "This is Marcus's case, and you've signed on to assist" she said

"Fine, but if he asks for my honest opinion then I will tell him the truth" Amelia told Marcus before she stormed out of the office leaving a lasting impression on Marcus.

"I didn't want to start off like this on my first week, but that's not how I do things" Marcus said

"We're glad to have you. Arguing is a regular around here so your pretty much fitting in all ready" Naomi told him

"Yeah, when your not arguing with someone here that's when you should worry" Addison laughed

"Well, I appreciate the backing on the case. I should get back to my office, I'll see you guys around" Marcus said before he left the office

"So that's Marcus" Sam said "And Amelia has basically told him to shove it" he said letting out a slight laugh as Naomi and Addison couldn't help but join in on the laughter

"Oh, Addie, I saw that you sent me an e-mail wanting to discuss something. What is it?" Naomi asked turning her attention towards Addison who quickly froze. Earlier that morning in her wave of all things baby, Addison had gotten the idea to talk to Naomi about possibly helping her become pregnant by becoming her fertility specialist but now that she had come back down from cloud nine she began to realize how awkward that might be. Looking at Addison with much surprise but somewhat glad that she was going to Nae, Sam noticed Addison tensing up and knew that she was going to back out.

"I just wanted to…." Addison said stumbling for words

"Addison has been wanting to do a spa weekend, and I wanted to have a football weekend so….putting two and two together, I was hoping you'd go with her so I can be alone with the ESPN" Sam said stepping in to save her

"Oh, spa. Yeah, that sounds good. Maya might even like that seeing as she caught up in all things Olivia, a break would serve her good. Is it wrong to enjoy our daughter being stressed out so she appreciates all the things we've told her?" Naomi asked Sam

"Not by the slightest. I plan to carry a mobile popcorn device to enjoy the teenage years that Maya has to go through with Olivia" Sam laughed

"Well just send me the itinerary and we can do it" Naomi smiled at her before she left the office

"I'd say thank you but you've sold me out for ESPN" Addison said as she reached over to hit on the arm

"Hey, I helped you out there since you clearly wanted to ask Nae to help in our baby making process. I help you, and in return I get Lebron" Sam smiled

"Let's hope Lebron will be in the bed with you tonight then" Addison said as she turned to leave

"That's fighting below the belt" Sam declared as he leaned back in chair

* * *

Flipping through the many brochures she had picked up for possible fertility specialists within the area, Addison eagerly looked on hoping that she would get some sense of comfort going to a stranger that could possibly play a big role in her life. Looking over at Sam, who to looked on at the brochures seemed a bit more intrigued than she was which only encouraged her to continue on reading but she still couldn't find that comfort level she wanted. Quickly getting out of the bed, Addison couldn't help but pace the floor as she just wracked her brain as to what she should do. Looking over at her strangely, Sam began to see the stress of it all come down on her so he just laid back and watched her carry on like a crazy person before she finally turned towards him.

"I don't like this" Addison declared

"I can see that" Sam laughed as he crawled towards the edge of the bed "Why don't you just ask her?" he asked her

"Because it would be awkward…I mean I'm trying to have a baby with my best friends ex-husband" Addison said "And oh, by the way could you help us…I'd sound so insensitive if I did that" she then added

"You'd sound like her best friend who would need her help" Sam sighed

"What is it like in guy land? I mean you guys seriously think its that easy to just forget things. Sensitivity is not your strong points in guy land" Addison said causing Sam to laugh

"In guy land we just say what needs to be said then we get over it" Sam laughed

"So imagine Naomi and you asking her to help us create a baby? I want to see this" Addison laughed as Sam got up to show his example

"Naomi, can you knock her up for me please?" Sam demonstrated as all Addison could do was laugh

"You wouldn't say that" Addison quickly replied

"Yes….no, I wouldn't" Sam laughed "Look we can look through all of these brochures all night long but I think deep down you know how you want to go about doing this" he said as he got up from the edge of the bed to make his way back to the head of the bed before Addison grabbed his forearm to stop him

"And what if she says no?" Addison asked

"Then we keep looking through these brochures" Sam said flipping one up in the air as he turned to watch it fall "Can we please get some rest now?" he said tiredly as he flipped the covers back

"Oh, so you didn't want sex tonight then?" Addison asked with a slight grin on her face as Sam quickly turned towards her almost falling off the bed

"Wait.." Sam began to protest before Addison slipped away from his grasp

"Nope, nope. Goodnight" Addison said before she headed inside the bathroom closing the door behind her as Sam rested up against the door

"We're suppose to be making a baby" Sam groaned as she slid down the door

* * *

Making his way into his office he began to look around in amazement at his new surroundings feeling the immediate change come over him. To the world he had become this miracle doctor for the up and coming athlete but there had been times where he would come across a case that just emotionally drained him. He wanted so badly to fulfill dreams but he knew along with a good deed would come those that wanted a bad one, it was always a struggle to do what was right and do what the patient wanted. Noticing the dark haired girl working in her office he soon turned to head over towards her office, knocking on the door she glanced up towards him with a slight wish she hadn't.

"I'll make this quick because I know you probably hate me now" Marcus said "I love my job. I can honestly say that I do what I love and that makes me proud" he said

"Good for you, I can say the same thing to" Amelia quickly replied as she leaned back in her chair

"But you'll like me…they always do" Marcus said before he flashed a million dollar smile

"Your quite full of yourself aren't you?" Amelia laughed "Just by that statement I know I won't like you" she smiled as Marcus took another moment to access her

"Yeah, you will" Marcus laughed as he turned to walk back towards his office

"No, I won't!" Amelia yelled out hoping that he'd hear

* * *

That whole morning she had gone over and over in her head as to what she would say to the point where she felt like it was a script to her. She had left out early leaving Sam behind to sleep in because she knew if he was up she'd probably back out of it. Stopping by her favorite bakery she made it a point to grab two of everything because Nae always loved the food at the bakery, she knew she was horrible for trying to bribe her friend but what else could she do. The whole elevator ride up she kept rehearsing what she would say and she had finally narrowed down the perfect conversation she would have with her best friend. Holding coffee and muffins as she entered into the office, Naomi glanced up to notice her friend and immediately became suspicious.

"What is all of this?" Naomi asked suspiciously "Usually when you do all of this you have something to tell me or you've all ready done something that I'll be upset about?" she asked as she slowly got up from her seat and walked over towards the red head

"Well its….its. Hi, Naomi. How is your day going so far?" Addison said at first until she remembered her script she had worked out to where it made her sound like a robot

"Uh, good. Now cut to the chase, what is it?" Naomi asked

"I just want you to know this. I love you and I don't want to hurt you, but I think I'm ready. I'm more than ready, we're ready" Addison said as Naomi just looked at her strangely "Sam and I have decided to have a baby, and I would like for you to help me get pregnant" she said just going for it as Naomi just stood still in shock by it all.


	3. Lebron and Me

Chapter Three- Lebron and Me

Putting his feet up on the coffee table getting into full relaxation mode as he watched the pre-game analysis, Sam was more than ready to spend the whole day watching Lebron, Garnett, and Dwight Howard as it was officially his NBA day. Since he had become a doctor he didn't have many days where he could relax because he either had all things Maya to do then since he was a newbie at the hospital his schedule was hardly flexible, but ever since the divorce he realized Sam time was just as essential and necessary to be a happy Sam. Coming inside the house carrying the desired items he had asked for on her way in from brunch with the hospital board, Addison could see that Sam was not joking when he said that today would be NBA day. Putting the bag down on the coffee table she looked over to see the biggest of smiles plastered on his face.

"Roll call. Do we have fritos?" Sam asked as Addison pulled them out of the bag to put on the table

"Check" Addison replied

"Bean dip?" Sam asked as Addison pulled the bean dip out to put on the table beside the fritos "Twizzlers" he then said

"I got everything you asked for" Addison said finally becoming annoyed with the roll call that eventually just lead to her pouring everything out of the bag on to the table before she sat beside him "Have you heard anything from Nae?" she asked

"No. I have not, but I'm sure we will" Sam said not tearing his eyes away from the flat screen

"How can you be so sure? I mean when I asked her she seemed like she was in shell shock of it all. She asked me some standard questions but it was just awkward all the way around" Addison told him

"It was bound to be awkward, but I have no doubt that she'll come through for us" Sam replied "Nae always pulls through for friends" he said

"Yeah, your right. Nae probably just needed time to think about it and process it all" Addison agreed "Are you just going to sit here all day?" she asked

"That's the plan. I have Lebron, Garnett, then Dwight Howard all in that order coming on" Sam told her

"Who are all those people? What type of work do they do?" Addison asked looking on at the television while Sam looked at her confused by how she couldn't put two and two together with the basketball court being shown on television

"Seriously?" Sam asked "Babe, basketball. They play basketball" he laughed

"Well just because they're in uniform and dribbling a ball doesn't make them…okay, they're basketball players. Shut up, I don't watch basketball" Addison replied

"Clearly" Sam laughed "What sports do you watch?" he asked

"Sports? I don't watch sports. I couldn't tell you a thing about any of them" Addison said

"We really have to work on that because I hope that in the future that our son will be right here beside me enjoying NBA day" Sam said

"Son? What if we have a daughter?" Addison asked him

"Then she'll be sitting beside me enjoying NBA day" Sam said "You can't resist the power that is basketball" he smiled

"Your really scaring me" Addison told him as she laid back to at attempt to watch the game while Sam cracked open a bottle of beer "What's the point of this?" she asked him

"Pure pleasure for Sam" Sam replied not tearing his attention away from the screen for one split second

"I thought I was pure pleasure for Sam?" Addison smiled

"Saturday to Saturday, yes, but on Sunday…debatable" Sam replied as he took a sip from his beer before Addison leaned in seductively beginning to kiss his neck

"Do you want to fool around?" Addison asked him looking up to see how he was responding from her kisses

"Usually I'd be pants down, ready to go. But the game…Lebron" Sam turned to tell her trying to show as much sympathy as possible "It's Sam time" he told her before Addison quickly got up from the sofa

"Well I'm gonna have Addison time upstairs" Addison declared as she began to head over to the staircase before she quickly grabbed a twizzler then took off running upstairs.

* * *

She was in the zone for the day, that's all Amelia kept thinking to herself as everything in her career just started to click for her. Of course she had an awesome pad to come home to as well as her one night stands without having to sneak in due to Addison and Sam being upstairs, she finally felt like she had adjusted to California and that California was adjusting to her. Heading back to her office, Amelia quickly noticed a man standing off by the reception station seeming a bit lost. Scanning the room to see if she could find the receptionist unable to find her but made a mental note to remember that today was Sunday and they weren't usually open, she made her way over to the man. For a second the man seemed familiar to her but she didn't want to assume just yet until she was for sure.

"Can I help you?" Amelia asked the man

"I'm looking for my son" The man replied

"Who might that be?" Amelia asked

"Marcus. Marcus King" The man stated just as Marcus stepped off the elevator to see his father standing in the lobby

"Uh, dad. What are you doing here?" Marcus quickly replied as he made his way over towards him

"Your mother was worried about you so I flew in to see how things were" Marcus's father told him

"Why would she be worried?" Marcus asked "I called her last night" he said

"She's a mother she worries" Marcus's father replied

"I do have to agree with that statement. My mom freaks when I don't call her in the mornings" Amelia smiled

"See, there you go" Marcus's father laughed "What is all of this?" he asked

"This is work" Marcus replied "Which is why…uh, I can handle this" he said still noticing that Amelia was all ears to their conversation

"I'm sure you can, but since I'm going to like you I figured I should know my future father in law" Amelia teased poking fun at a previous statement he had made

"Oh, is this your girl?" Marcus's father asked him

"No" Marcus and Amelia both replied

"I think I'll be heading to my office" Amelia said before Marcus's father extended his hand towards her

"It was nice to meet you…" Marcus's father said trying to recall her name

"Dr. Sheperd" Amelia replied as she shook his hand before she then made her way back to her office

"So what is this all about? Why'd you come?" Marcus asked

"Your brother, he's gotten worse. Is there anything you can do for him?" Marcus's father asked

"No. We're not having this conversation, I'm sick of having this conversation" Marcus replied

"Yeah, well he's family. Your suppose to be there for family" Marcus's father replied

"Not when he's a strung out ball player" Marcus said "I risked my job helping Robert, and I will not make the same mistake again" he said

"Here is his file, along with the receipts for his rehab that we've been paying for" Marcus's father said handing him over a manilla folder filled with papers "You want to see something, well there it is. I'm only in town until Tuesday, please contact me" he said before he turned to leave

"You'll be disappointed. You always are" Marcus said as he stepped towards the elevator doors before they closed. Looking on at the file, Marcus contemplated looking but he just knew that was the way he'd get suckered back in and even though he wanted to feel close again to his family, he just couldn't. Walking over towards the trash can he took one final look at the file before he threw it away and just walked away. Looking out through her window she looked out to see if anyone was around before she headed out into the lobby over towards the trash can to pull the file out.

* * *

Leaning up against the back board of the bed she contemplate on whether she should call again thinking that maybe this was something they should talk about personally now that she had time to process it. Hearing Sam yell and scream from downstairs at the basketball game that seemed to be going on forever. Trying to occupy herself the best she could because she did realize that as much as she wanted to be with Sam all the time he did give her space when she needed it and it'd only be fair if she gave him the same in return. Turning on the television she began to flip through the many channels that were on television and seem to find nothing on television. Finally giving in to the voices that were in her head she picked up her phone and quickly dialed the number preparing herself for whatever could come up in the conversation but was saddened to hear that her call had gone to voicemail.

"This is Naomi Bennet, I'm not currently available, so please leave your name and number and I will get back to you" Naomi's voicemail said

"Hey, Nae. This is Addison, I'm sure your able to recognize my number and my voice…I was just calling to see how you are? I know I dropped that on you all at once and that was never my intention. Having a child means so much to me, I just always thought that by now at this point in my life I'd already have a child barely making it on coffee and energy drinks. Look, I'm not going to make this worse than it all ready is but I need your help. I wouldn't have drawn this out if I didn't need you…I need your help bad" Addison said bearing her soul in the voicemail "Well I'm sorry for taking up your time and your voicemail space…I just would really love to hear if you'd be able to help me" she said before she hung up the phone. Taking a moment to think she tried her best to see the positive in all of this but just felt like she had no control over anything anymore. Tears streamed down her face as she clenched on tight to her pillow hoping that she'd get a grip. Coming down the staircase with tears streaming down her face, she made her way over to sit beside Sam. Without even having to look at her, he instinctively pulled her close to him as she just burried her face in the crook of his neck.

"You got anxious, huh?" Sam asked her as she just shook her head in agreement "It's okay. We're gonna be just fine" he said as he kissed the top of her head

"How are you so damn calm about everything. Naomi is the miracle worker here, she can create something out of nothing" Addison replied

"Because she doesn't control how I love you or how you love me, that's what this child is about. Our child will be about our love for each other nothing more…so if she helps then great but if we can't have a child then we'll adopt or get a surrogate…but we will be a family" Sam said "So enjoy Lebron" he smiled at her

"Which one is he?" Addison asked as she looked closely at the television

"The one with the tattoo" Samm replied

"They all have tattoo's" Addison replied laying on his lap while he stroked her hair

* * *

Immediately storming into the practice, Marcus threw his stuff down in his office before he quickly made his way over towards her office. Not giving her the courtesy of knocking seeing as she took his privacy away with her actions he swiftly made his way into her office, which didn't seem to catch her too much off guard as if she were expecting him at some point. Closing up and saving any work that she had in progress on the computer, she leaned back in her chair preparing herself for what was to come from her new co-worker. Slamming the door behind as he just searched for the words inside himself so that he wouldn't do anything that might cost him his job.

"What? What the hell is your problem? I mean I'm sensing you've got some need to be the rockstar of the practice, but what the hell gives you the right to go behind my back on a patient!" Marcus yelled

"Not a patient, your brother. He has pontine glioma, now he can have treatment but he won't be balling anytime" Amelia said

"You shouldn't have looked through that file let alone call my father. You had no right!" Marcus yelled

"And your suppose to be a doctor. He needs treatment and you just toss it off to the trash, who does that?" Amelia asked him

"Shut up, you have no right to judge me" Marcus said

"This isn't about you! This is about you refusing to look at the file, this about you not doing your job" Amelia quickly fired back

"Those documents…did they have an original signature, fresh ink?" Marcus asked her

"Yes" Amelia said a bit unsure

"Check the file!" Marcus yelled as Amelia reluctantly pulled the file from her desk and began to look it over "No orginal ink. Does it look like its photo copied at the top of the page, look closely at it" he instructed her as she once again reluctantly did as told

"What are you trying to get at?" Amelia asked him

"You don't know my brother. The papers in those files are all false, local guy is a wiz at creating false documents…paid him, so he could get prescription and treatment" Marcus replied

"Treatment? The only treatment he'd receive is chemo and possibly surgery" Amelia said

"All in which he'll turn down but will want something for the pain leading to pain killers" Marcus concluded "You don't know my brother, you don't know my family, and you don't know me" he said before he left the office

* * *

Getting her final answer when Naomi hadn't contacted her she then realized that this was probably something that they'd have to do on their own. A part of Addison wanted to be upset that Naomi didn't even have the decency to tell her, but she knew that she had no right to be upset when Naomi had endured the brunt of pain in all of this. Sitting in the lobby, Addison looked on at all the pregnant women who were just eager to see their babies for the first time and a part of her was anxious to feel that…she needed to feel that she thought. Putting his arm around her shoulder, Sam pulled Addison close before kissing her forehead which made her even more than happy that he was there with her. She felt his love, it was so consuming and so real that her biggest desire was to have a living embodiment of the love she had for him. Once they were called back into the examination room the doctor had her disrobe and get into a gown so he could run all the required tests necessary. Doing all he could to keep her mind off of everything, Sam had made it a habit to make her laugh which she had to admit was working. Just as the two tried to stop their laughter about Amelia and her dislike for Marcus they both looked on surprised when the door opened.

"Sorry I'm late, but lets take a look" Naomi said as Addison could help but get teary eyed "Don't cry because then you'll make me cry" she told her

"I won't. I promise" Addison laughed


	4. Doctor, Doctor

Chapter Four- Doctor, Doctor

The cool breeze, beautiful scenery, and the California sun. Sometimes she had forgotten what it meant to live out in California instead of Seattle, where things just felt so gloomy which was a perfect representation of her personal life during her time at Seattle Grace. With her iced mocha in hand she walked the streets along with Amelia just taking in the day as opposed to going from task to task. Though she was trying to enjoy her day, Addison could easily see that something was annoying Amelia, which was surprising because Amelia was the biggest on leaving work at work, one of the things Sam seemed to be a big fan of but she was still working on it and needed practice at it. Struggling with getting her straw loose from the wrapper, Addison finally saved the straw by reaching over to grab it as she freed the straw but thought twice about returning it to its original owner.

"What's wrong with you?" Addison asked

"I'm frustrated" Amelia said letting out a groan of anger

"With?" Addison asked

"Everything. Work is slow, the cable guy is actually starting to charge me…" Amelia said before Addison cut her off

"Wait, aren't they suppose to charge you?" Addison asked

"This cable guy likes to do business a different way, but when I ended things with him he got a little snotty about it" Amelia said "Then there's Marcus who's always so damn frustrating" she said

"What is your deal with Marcus? He's a very good doctor and brings in a ton of business for the practice" Addison said

"Because he thinks he knows everything, like he's God's gift or something" Amelia replied

"Sort of like you" Addison replied as Amelia looked at her with shock that she even said that to her "What? It's the truth. Marcus is like a male you but with a filter all ready in tact" she said

"No, he's a jackass that doesn't follow protocall. And sports medicine? Who really calls treating athletes with ibruprofren sports medicine?" Amelia asked

"You forget the fact that he's a general surgeon. Face it, he's good" Addison laughed

"Yeah, well I'm not ready to crown him like everyone else does. Sam seems to fawning all over him now that they play basketball together" Amelia sighed "How is the sex going?" she asked

"It is going good. We're trying our best to knock me up, so its good" Addison said

"Just good? What happened to amazing and mind blowing?" Amelia asked "The way you described it always made me feel like I was having an orgasm" she said

"That's because our sex has a different meaning to it now, we're having sex to make a baby" Addison replied

"So basically its like a homework assignment" Amelia laughed "That's what it sounds like" she continued to laugh as Addison had to sort of admit to herself that she was partially right

"Okay, okay. Last night after we had sex, Sam turned on sportscenter and watched highlights while I couldn't wait to finish the last chapter of my book…it was like we were mind cheating on each other. I was thinking about a book and he was thinking Lejohn or whatever his name is" Addison said

"Lebron, his name is Lebron" Amelia corrected

"Whatever. Don't get me wrong, I love having sex with Sam…it's beyond relaxing…" Addison said thinking back to the pretty raunchy and kinky times Sam and her had when they had sex

"Come back to reality and leave porn world" Amelia said trying to bring her back

"I just want us to have the romance in it like we use to. I mean I get that we're trying to make a baby, but I still want to have fun doing it" Addison said

"Have you told Sam this?" Amelia asked her

"I don't want to make it seem like I expect so much. We're trying to make a baby so that's challenging as is with my lonely egg, then on top he's been so supportive with everything that went on with Bizzy…then finally coming around to have a kid, I don't want to nag him about every little thing" Addison said

"You know here's a news flash for you…your in the relationship too" Amelia told her

* * *

Scoring the final basket in the game, Sam ran around the court celebrating his win as he wanted to rub it in to the young doctors face that he was the reigning champion on this court. Looking on at the boastful celebration both Marcus and Cooper just walked back over to their bags to get a drink of water. Heading over towards where the guys were after realizing he had rubbed it in enough, taking a seat to catch his breath he was just glad to rest up.

"So is this a usual for you guys?" Marcus asked

"Basically" Cooper replied

"Only few have entered the realm of basketball with us, so consider yourself privileged" Sam laughed

"What about Sheldon? Does he play?" Marcus asked as Cooper killed himself with laughter to even have the thought of Sheldon playing

"That'd be a sight to see" Coopers said as he did an imitation of Sheldon playing making Sam and Marcus laugh "I hear you and little Sheperd don't see eye to eye on much?" he asked

"Yeah, I mean no…we don't see eye to eye. She's so damn frustrating, she thinks she's right about everything" Marcus said

"Because she is a Sheperd" Sam laughed "They all think they're right" he said

"I've worked with a lot of arrogance but she takes the cake" Marcus said

"All right, she's still like a little sister to me. Look have you ever thought about being nice or trying to mend things with her?" Sam asked her

"Yeah, its called I'll leave you alone and you leave me alone" Marcus replied

"No, have you tried to make an effort to listen to her ideas and make her feel like you truly value her medical opinion?" Cooper asked "Do you get what I'm saying?" he then asked him

"So you think I should try to mend things?" Marcus asked

"That's basically what we've been saying for the past two minutes" Cooper laughed

"Well I think I may know a way for us to get along" Marcus said as he began to embrace the idea

"There you go. Your all ready using your head" Sam laughed as he picked up his cell phone to check his messages

* * *

Sitting in bed, starting on her new book that she had just picked up while Sam finished up taking his shower. Coming out of the restroom dressed in his pajama bottoms, Sam walked over towards his side of the bed and got in. Sitting on his side of the bed wondering if the two were going to have sex tonight, Addison quickly put her book on her nightstand before she laid down in the bed letting him know that she was ready. Looking over towards her he leaned in to kiss her as they slowly progressed into their usual routine. Pulling away from her lips he began to kiss her neck causing her to moan but he knew that something wasn't right just in the way she responded to his touch like it was robotic of some sort.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked pulling away from her embrace

"Nothing" Addison replied before she leaned up to kiss him but he moved away from her advances "Sam" she said wondering why he ignored her kiss

"Something is wrong, and I think it has to do with all the frequent sex we're having" Sam said as he sat up in the bed "It's becoming a bit…" he tried to say before she cut him off

"You don't want to have sex with me anymore? Are you tired of having sex with me?" Addison asked as she sat up in the bed

"No, lets get that clear right now…I love you, and I love having sex with you but I'm just afraid that your not enjoying it anymore" Sam said "Because a part of me isn't as much as I use to" he said softly

"But your still attracted to me?" Addison asked

"Very much so" Sam said turning to look at her before Addison took a deep breath

"Sex has become like a chore now" Addison finally revealed

"Then what do we do? Because I know we're trying to have a kid, but if we're getting bored with it now then imagine if it takes longer than expected" Sam said

"I know" Addison agreed before a moment of silence came between them "Maybe we should just have sex when we're in the mood, try not to force it…let it happen naturally" she said

"So just no sex for a while?" Sam asked her

"Yeah, I mean our relationship is deeper than sex so it'll be fine. But too much of a good thing can be bad for you" Addison smiled weakly

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe your right" Sam agreed "Well, goodnight then" he said as he settled in slowly to his spot in the bed as did Addison. Reaching over to turn off his light, Addison adjusted her pillow to how she wanted before she grabbed her book once again

"Goodnight" Addison smiled as she leaned over to kiss him before going back to reading her book

* * *

Watching her legs dangle over the side of the bleachers she looked back to see him taping up his last athlete. Laughing to herself she couldn't believe how many numbers she got today from some pretty cute possible suitors that she wouldn't mind getting a drink with later on in the day. Closing up his medical kit he said his good byes to a few of the remaining athletes before they headed into locker room to get ready for weight training. Walking over towards the brunette, who he had seen saunter off to the side a while back, he put his kit down and walked over towards the ball rack and grabbed a basketball before dribbling onto the court. Doing a couple fancy foot work before he finally laid the ball in he looked over at the bleachers to see that she wasn't there anymore. Looking around nervously he was soon surprised to see that she picked up the ball and began to dribble.

"Your not the only one who can shoot a ball" Amelia said before she shot the ball and made the basket "Next time impress me with something I don't know how to do" she said

"Oh, then I guess I'll use silence next time that doesn't seem to be something you've conquered" Marcus laughed "So did you enjoy today?" he asked

"Yeah, taping and examining sweating athletes" Amelia said as she looked over Marcus to see a look of disappointment come to his face "I got a lot of numbers, and today was kind of cool" she soon gave in

"Thank you. I was hoping this would help us burry the hatchett" Marcus smiled

"There's no hatchett, I just don't like your methods" Amelia replied

"And I don't like yours. Look, we're agreeing" Marcus laughed as he shot the ball once again to make another basket

"So we can agree on the fact we don't like the others methods of doing things, but yet we work together to save peoples lives…that could be risky if we're ever in surgery" Amelia said

"Yes, it could but I'm smart enough to not let work interfere" Marcus said "Let's enjoy the day and argue another" he said

"Sounds like a plan, the arguing I mean" Amelia said as they both eyed the abandoned basketball then took off running after it

* * *

Getting off early from work, Sam made his way inside the house going through the many bills that Addison had due to her excessive need to shop, she was devil with a credit card in every way. Placing the bills on the kitchen counter as he headed into the kitchen to grab leftovers from last night. Hearing her pull up in the driveway, Sam pulled out another plate for her because he knew she'd be starved when she came in. Coming inside, Addison dropped of her briefcase near the coat rack as she relieved herself of her coat before making her way over to the kitchen to give Sam a quick kiss. Grabbing a bottle of water before she went to take a seat on the bar stool.

"I was going to call and see if we had anymore Chinese" Addison smiled as he continued on heating him the Chinese food from last night

"I had this tangy feeling for sweet and sour chicken…so you and I were thinking the same thing" Sam laughed "How was your day?" he asked

"Same old, same old. Marcus took Amelia out with him on the field, I wonder which one is still alive. My bet is on Amelia because she does seem to have survival skills" Addison said

"I think he's trying to smooth things over with her, make the workplace a little better" Sam said as he brought her plate over towards her before they both began to eat

"I've seen people argue but those two they take it to a different level" Addison laughed aloud "Do you think they…" she asked before Sam cut her off

"No. Don't let the nice boy routine fool you about Marcus, he's got quite the ladies on his wrap sheet" Sam said "I'm talking models and actresses" he smiled as Addison noticed his smile

"And do you find that impressive? Do you envy him?" Addison asked as she continued to eat

"No, I just think that when it comes to conquests both Amelia and Marcus have had a few" Sam replied

"I didn't ask about that, I asked do you wish you had your round of ladies? I mean after Nae you never really played the field, had a real chance to be single. It went from Nae to another unknown woman, Vanessa, then me. You haven't really been single" Addison said

"I'm not that type of guy though. I like being in a relationship, I like being with you" Sam said "What about you? Do you wish you were still single?….Dr. Rodriguez caught your eyes, do you wish you could still be single?" he asked

"No, I mean I think I'm at this point in my life where I want to settle down and have something meaningful in my life. I want to come home to the barking dog, the happy kid, and the loving husband…being single was fun, but I want a new type of fun in my life" Addison said

"Well I think we want the same thing" Sam replied

"Yeah, we do" Addison smiled before she leaned in to give a few quick kisses wanting more of him with each kiss

* * *

It was late in the evening when Marcus had pulled up in front of Amelia's beach house to drop her off. For the first time since meeting her the two were actually capable of being nice to each other not that it was such a big mystery on how they could but the fact that they actually took the time to understand where the other was coming from. Pulling out her keys from her purse she glanced back over at Addison's house to see that the lights were still on so Addison and Sam were probably still awake, so before she would go over to her house she'd stop by and hang out with them for a little bit seeing as they were on their sex break. Turning off the engine, Amelia looked over at Marcus wondering if he thought he was going to get lucky since he was so nice to her today.

"You have a nice house" Marcus said as he observed her house as she just thought that was a typical line where the guy clearly thought he was going to get lucky

"It's not mine. I'm renting it from Sam" Amelia said "I lived with Addison for a bit then they moved in with each other so I got his house" she said

"They live next to each other?" Marcus asked

"Yeah" Amelia replied "So how are things with your family? If you don't mind me happening" she asked

"Things are…the same" Marcus sighed as he looked over at Amelia who wanted more to the story than what he gave

"I don't get this whole thing with your brother, I mean you sound like you despise your brother" Amelia said

"When we were kids, my brother, Robert, was the star football athlete. He was getting letters from every school that you could think. I played a few sports, I was pretty good at football but not as good as Robert. I loved sports, I mean it was something that was permanent in my house…but I never loved it as much as Robert, so I quit. Got into medical school and just dedicated myself to school. My father never really supported my decision as he was my brothers biggest fan, pushing him to be the best. When Rob injured his leg in a game the doctors said it was minor and that he'd be back in a week. He injured again and just ignored the doctors advice, so he just kept playing on it until finally he blew his knee out. I was making a name for myself at the hospitals with my innovative surgeries so my dad came to me and asked if I would help Rob. I looked over his charts, did everything when it came to Rob even stuff that I shouldn't have done. Operated on him thinking I could reconstruct his leg, put him some rehab to get him stronger then back to at least seventy five percent of what he used to be. Did the surgery, and he just could never get back to himself. My dad would never say it but he blames me, he thinks that the surgery killed any chance he had at going pro…he thinks that I was jealous of my brother and wanted to end his career so any chance Rob gets he tries to rally up the crew and make a comeback" Marcus told her

"What about the pain killers?" Amelia asked "Why would he go through all that trouble of forging documents just for pain killers? Can't he just buy that on the streets?" she asked

"Yeah, but the dosage he was on while he was recovering is an amount that he probably won't be able to get from any street dealer. His dosage was high because I believed he was actually going to go back to playing football and I wanted to speed up his recovery…I know it was wrong but if I would have played a part in helping my brother achieve his dream then I figured my father would finally be proud of me" Marcus said

"Wow! Your relationship with your brother is far more screwed up than mine" Amelia laughed

"And for future reference to myself, never share anything else with you" Marcus laughed as a moment of awkwardness came between them before Amelia just decided to grab the bull by the horns and just leaned in to kiss him

"Why don't you stop beating around bush, I know what you came for" Amelia said as she broke the kiss

"Oh, you think I think I want sex from you?" Marcus asked before he began to laugh leaving Amelia confused

"Okay, not quite the reaction I was looking for. You opened up and you did the typical oh this is your place line" Amelia said trying to figure him out

"Because I was surprised this was your place" Marcus laughed

"You jackass!" Amelia said angrily as she unbuckled her seat belt and began to open her door while Marcus was unable to stop his laughter. Trying to stop her from leaving on such a bad note, Marcus got out the car in hopes of trying to calm her down

"Sheperd, its all right. I mean of course you've read all the guy signs complete wrong, but its fine" Marcus laughed as Amelia continued towards her house

"Go to hell King" Amelia yelled as she stormed inside her house leaving

* * *

After taking a nice hot shower, Addison slipped into her pajamas and couldn't wait to get into bed so she could cuddle up to Sam. Opening the bathroom door she was surprised to see that Sam hadn't made it up to bed yet, which by this time he usually would have. Grabbing her robe, Addison walked to the top of the staircase to see each step held a candle that lead into a pathway. Cautiously but happily walking down the staircase she quickly saw Sam dressed in his dress shirt and his dress pants standing in the middle of the living room floor. Motioning for her to look down, Addison looked down to see a single red rose laying on the floor before she leaned over to pick it up. Still not sure she understood what this all meant, Addison looked on in confusion.

"What is all of this?" Addison asked "And why are you still dressed in your work clothes? Did you get a call from the hospital?" she asked

"No, and this is for us" Sam replied "I know we agreed to not have sex for a while, but I think we're handling it wrong" he said

"Okay, so you dressed in your work clothes is going to enhance us but most importantly our sex life?" Addison asked "Do explain this theory" she laughed

"Do you get turned on when I'm in my work clothes? The dress shirts that reveal my toned abs and the dress pants that…that show off my ass?" Sam asked as Addison became embarrassed

"You've been listening to my conversations with Amelia. Nice, I'll be sure to be paranoid now whenever I talk" Addison said

"The point in all of this and is that we need to get more creative, make sex a little more interesting" Sam said as he walked over to the entertainment unit and turned it on

"Oh, no. We're not filming us having sex, too many people do it and few get away with it. Olivia might pop in a cartoon and then it'll be our little sex tape" Addison said shooting down that idea

"Sex tape, give me some credit. I'm not talking about a sex tape" Sam said before he turned on Robin Thicke's song Sex Therapy "In the words of Robin Thicke, I think we need a little sex therapy" he said as all Addison could do was smile seductively wondering what he had in mind for her

"Okay" Addison said finding this more intriguing the more he explained himself as he walked towards her as the music played clear enough for her to feel like she was going to know the true meaning of what sex therapy was and that Sam was going to instruct her to the fullest. Walking and observing her, Addison felt as if Sam was having his own version of sex as he undid his cufflinks "What next?….doctor" she asked playfully before Sam walk to the front of her and moved in slowly before he captured her lips with his. The kiss felt like an eruption of passion where he was invading every ounce of space she had, breaking the kiss he could see she wanted more but she had to be patient. Rolling up his sleeves he stood back once again before he walked over towards the closet to pull out a pair of handcuffs. Finding it a bit odd that Sam of all people would be in to handcuffs only increased her interest into where this was all leading as he pulled her hands back to put the cuffs on her before he once again stood in front of her accessing her "Your gonna have to explain this to me because this all seems…confusing.." she said before Sam cut her off

"There's three levels. Level one is pleasure. Level two is transcendent. Level three is pleasure" Sam told her

"So I'm guessing I'm starting out on level one. Pleasure" Addison said with her anticipation at an all time high before slowly backed her over towards the post then undid one of cuffs so he could hand cuff her so she was handcuffed around the post standing forward. Her breathing became heavy with each gentle touch he gave her letting her know that whatever he had planned that he would be gentle. Looking her dead in the eyes making a million butterflies flutter about, he took both of his hands to slide down her pajama bottoms including her underwear as he tossed them to the side.

"You won't be needing those" Sam told her and within a moment of questioning what he meant by that she felt an overwhelming amount electricity shoot through her body as she couldn't hold back her moan as she had entered the level of pleasure.


	5. Mother of Problems

Chapter Five- Mother of Problems

Her eyes began to flutter open as she clutched on tight to the blanket that was wrapped around her naked body, looking beside her she could see that he was still sound asleep and after last nights activities she was surprised that she could even wake up because she was almost sure that he had put her in a coma with all the relaxation she felt. Realizing she was on the living room floor she could see a much clearer vision of the beach and she had to admit that it was a stunning view, a view that left her breathless and wished she'd wake up every morning like this. Observing the living room she could see that it was a complete mess as they managed to hit every corner of the room last night. From the wall post, kitchen counter, kitchen floor, sofa, kitchen table, and ending with the living room floor. As she began to take in the full view of the beach, Sam began to wake as he turned over on his back.

"Good morning" Sam said still half asleep

"Good morning Doctor" Addison smiled

"So I'm guessing you rested well?" Sam asked

"Very much so. That sex therapy came in handy, lets hope it works on this Thursday" Addison said as laid back on his chest

"Thursday?" Sam asked confused "What's happening on Thursday?" he asked

"That's the night you really have to perform" Addison smiled

"Oh, oh…your ovulating. Really?" Sam asked

"Yes, and I really appreciated last night. It was…far beyond any experience I've ever had" Addison laughed

"Well I enjoyed it to, and if you scream nearly as much as you screamed last night then you should be pregnant by Friday" Sam joked before Addison leaned over to hit him before he pulled her in closer to kiss her. Well on their way to hooking up for yet another time the doorbell quickly rang. Cursing to himself as she rolled off of him, Addison laughed to herself as she got up to wrap the blanket around her naked body.

"It's probably the mail man letting us know that he's dropped the mail off" Addison said as Sam looked at her confused

"So you greet the mail man naked? What if he's around the hedges waiting to get his daily peek" Sam said as Addison walked over to the door

"Stop, he's probably down the street by now" Addison laughed before she opened the door to see a middle aged black woman standing on her door step, for a moment she did her best to recall who the woman was

"Addison, who is it? Is it the mail man" Sam called out before the woman's eyes seemed to bulge out of her skull

"Samuel" The woman said as Sam quickly popped up from where he was making sure to cover himself before the woman nearly passed out. Luckily the woman was close enough so Addison could catch her just as Amelia made her way over to the house to be surprised to see a woman passed out on the front porch

"What the hell happened?" Amelia asked as she helped prop the woman up "Why are you naked?" she then asked noticing just a blanket covering Addison's bare body just before Sam scurried around the living room trying to put on clothes

"She just rang the doorbell then called out Sam's name when she saw him then passed out" Addison said

"She saw you two…naked?" Amelia asked before she began to laugh

"What? What is so funny?" Addison asked

"You have no idea who this is do you?" Amelia laughed just as Sam came out dressed in tank top and sweat pants

"Mom. Wake up" Sam said nervously as Addison looked at Amelia in pure shock just as the woman came to

"Nice way to meet the parents" Amelia laughed

* * *

After getting Sam's mom settled on the sofa so she could catch her breath after fainting, Addison wasted no time in getting dressed because she was almost sure that she had all ready lost her chance to impress with not being dressed. Doing her best to at least look stunning, Addison checked her cell phone to see that Naomi had called three time and even sent five text messages warning her that Sam's mother was in town and was on her way over. She had to admit that this was the only time she hated that Sam chose last night to do sex therapy because then they would at least not have sex last night and she would have been dressed. Making her way down stairs she could see Sam tending to his mother as he brought her out tea and a sandwich.

"Are you comfortable?" Addison asked as she sat across from Sam's mother

"Yes, are you Addison?" Sam's mother asked

"You remember Addison. We went to medical school together" Sam told his mother

"Were you ever blonde?" Sam's mother asked

"No, I've always had the red hair. Use to hate when I was in high school but it actually worked to my advantage at school" Addison smiled

"Aw, yes…now I remember you. You were Naomi's best friend" Sam's mother said

"Yeah" Addison replied

"How is Naomi doing? She always knew how to keep a clean house" Sam's mother asked

"She's doing good" Sam replied "Addison is a world class surgeon, she does neonatology" he said

"Oh, you work with babies and the pregnancy?" Sam's mother asked her

"Yes, I can operate on a baby in the womb and out of the womb" Addison said proudly as Sam rubbed her back

"You know, Naomi could create a life out of nothing. I mean there was one case in which this woman was told for years that she would never have a child and it wasn't like she was getting any younger, but Naomi did the unthinkable and blessed this woman with a baby girl. Samuel, do you remember the name of that woman?" Sam's mother asked

"Irene Gomez" Sam replied

"Aw, yes. Irene Gomez. I've always believed that what Naomi does is God's work, and that's something special" Sam's mother said as Addison had to fake a smile

"Naomi is great at what she does, that's what makes her the best" Addison said as she got up from her seat "Well, I have to go into the office and prep for surgery. Dinner, tonight?" she asked

"Dinner tonight" Sam agreed as his mother slowly rose to her feet

"You know since you've mentioned the office, I'd like to go in and see if Naomi will take time from her busy schedule to have lunch with me. I swear sometimes I worry that with all this success she'll forget to take care of herself" Sam's mother said "You'll take me Samuel, won't you?" she turned to ask Sam

"I could take you. I mean Sam won't come in until later but since I'm leaving right now I can wait around a bit for you" Addison proposed

"I have this thing I'm very particular about speed, and I just trust a lot of people…you understand don't you?" Sam's mother said

"That's perfectly fine. I look forward to seeing you today around the office, maybe you could catch one of our surgeries" Addison said as walked over to pull her purse out and grabbed her coat to leave

* * *

Looking over scans of her patient, Amelia did her usual routine of jotting down notes for her to look up when she got back to the practice. Though it was hard to focus a bit when she had the image of Sam's mother all sprawled out on the porch because she saw her son naked as a good reason for her to laugh here and there. Coming into the x-ray room, Marcus immediately began to laugh once he saw Amelia standing there, giving him a quick scowl to let him know that she was not in the mood to be messed with. Knowing that her bark wasn't as bad as her bite he continued to laugh on as he held on to his scans while observing hers.

"You've got yourself a doozee on that one" Marcus commented on the scans as she did her best to ignore him

"It's fixable" Amelia replied

"Yeah, it is. How are you gonna go about it?" Marcus asked before Amelia quickly turned towards him

"You can't be here right now" Amelia said

"I have to look over scans and I always come to this room. Why so touchy?" Marcus asked her "Wait, is this about last night?" he asked

"No" Amelia quickly replied

"Your upset about last night, aren't you?" Marcus asked her

"No, and if I were upset then I'd be extremely pissed that you lead me to believe we would…you know" Amelia said

"I never said nor lead you to believe that we were going to have sex. How can we go from hating each other to sleeping with each other? That makes no sense" Marcus said

"Well you had all the signs, I mean you commented on my house" Amelia said

"Because I didn't know where you lived, it meant nothing more than what it was" Marcus said

"We're not having this conversation" Amelia said quickly turning around "In fact I'm over it. One of your little athlete friends called this morning and I'm going out to dinner with him" she said

"So if he comments on your car then that automatically means he wants to have sex in the back seat" Marcus said before Amelia turned to hit him "As a black man I really need to stop talking to the crazy white girls" he laughed before she grabbed her scans and stormed out of room

* * *

Standing in the doorway of her office, Addison looked on sadly as Sam's mother and Naomi talked and laugh as if they were still mother in law and daughter in law. The only thing that would make this site worse if Sam were there, but luckily he was going to be in back to back surgeries, then again she knew that his mother would be heading over to the hospital later to see him. To say she was jealous would be an understatement but mostly because she wanted her relationship with Sam to be perfect. Deep down she knew perfection would never be reached but with Sam she always felt like it could be a possibility. Noticing Addison looking on at the two women, after Amelia escorted her patient to the elevator she immediately made her way over towards Addison. Entering her office like she owned it as she flopped on her sofa, Addison turned her attention to the sprawled out Sheperd on her sofa thankful that a new distraction had come her way.

"I see Mother Bennet hasn't taken to you well. What is it with you and mothers?" Amelia joked as Addison flopped down in her chair still looking on at Naomi

"I don't know…Bizzy has cursed me. If my own mother won't love me than no other mother will" Addison replied "I'm a good doctor, I'm a great doctor!" she declared

"Damn right you are" Amelia agreed "But the thing isn't about you being a great or good doctor…it's about you wanting to impress Sam's mother" she said

"All she keeps talking about is Naomi. Don't get me wrong, I love Naomi but I hate that she's so damn perfect all the time…I want her to suck at something" Addison sighed

"Naomi sucks at marriage" Amelia laughed "Naomi sucks at…lying. Naomi sucks at….yeah, I'm running out of things" she said

"Clearly" Addison replied

"How is the whole baby making going? That should bring a smile to your face" Amelia asked hoping that it brighten her day

"I'm ovulating on Thursday, so looking forward to that" Addison replied

"That's exciting…ovulating and all" Amelia laughed "I heard your practice last night. Who knew Sam could put in such long hours" she laughed hysterically before Addison threw a pillow at her

"No! please tell me you didn't hear us last night! How is that possible?" Addison yelled in embarrassment

"You were that loud. I mean you swear like you two were quiet" Amelia teased

"Well we were experimenting…sex therapy" Addison said "He wanted to spruce things up" she said

"That he did" Amelia laughed

"Well from the looks of things I think his mom is going to be in town for a while. I heard her tell Naomi she was staying for a week…yay!" Addison said "Maybe I'm just expecting her to like me…I should find out what she likes and then try to do it" she said

"Do you want my advice?" Amelia asked

"Not really" Addison said as she immediately got up to start making arrangements for the idea that was formulating in his head.

* * *

Working with Oceanside Wellness had brought about a sense of stability to Marcus, he finally started to see that the fast pace life had its perks but he liked not having to watch his back in fear of an up and comer stilling his patient and spotlight. Heading over to the nurses station to finish up his patients charts, Marcus couldn't help but notice all the messages he was getting on his cell phone from a girl he had hooked up with the night before. Being an athlete's doctor brought about fame, it was like he was the Jerry Maguire of the medical field, but along with the fame came the groupies of the athletes who just want to be close to the athlete in shape or form. At first when he was starting out in his career he enjoyed dating the models and the actresses but he found that nothing long term came out of it. Turning his cell phone off so that he wouldn't have to hear the continual buzzing or vibration from his phone any longer. Just as he focused away on his number he saw Sam coming towards him looking paranoid as he looked around.

"What's wrong with you?" Marcus asked

"Have you seen a Claire Huxtable looking like woman walking around the hospital?" Sam asked

"Uh, no" Marcus replied "Why?" he asked

"Because that woman would be my mother and I'm trying to avoid her" Sam said

"Okay? Why are you trying to avoid her?….is she heartbroken that you and your pill popping brother don't talk and that your relationship with your father is beyond repair that you have a better chance of making up with George Bush instead of him" Marcus muttered towards the end recounting on his own personal life

"No, more like she's trying to push Naomi on me. Nae, has been trying to dodge her all day long but she just won't leave" Sam said as the nurse handed him his charts

"Oh, and she's not accepting of your relationship with Addison" Marcus laughed

"No, no. My mother is the most accepting and loving person you'll ever meet. I think she just hasn't had time to talk to Addison, she's shy and only sticks to what she knows" Sam said

"Which is the ex-black woman in your life" Marcus said as Sam looked at him confused by the statement "Let's face it…you're a successful black cardio surgeon dating a white woman. Your mother may not be accepting but for a reason" he said

"No, race has nothing to do with it" Sam denied

"To you, but to your mom it could be the stereo typical black man thing to do when successful. Remember, we have Diary of Mad Black Woman in this generation…they're realizing their old values are still living strong" Marcus laughed

"My mother loves Addison, and I will spend the rest of her stay here making sure that she will" Sam declared "How'd your making nice with Amelia go?" he then asked as Marcus just looked at him

"It was fun…at first" Marcus said

"What happened?" Sam asked

"Towards the end she thought I just wanted sex from her" Marcus said "I mean she's a looker, but I don't have sex on the brain like most guys. What gets me is that she was so casual with it…I never pegged her as that type of woman" he said

"Aw, Amelia has a tendency to act more like a guy than a normal guy" Sam laughed "But there is a key to her" he said

"And what would that be?" Marcus asked

"No, no. Your gonna have to figure that out yourself" Sam laughed as he turned to walk off to his next patient.

* * *

Glad to finally make it to the house after what felt like hours worth of gospel music he had to endure due to his mother, there was no one more happy than Sam to be home. Coming inside the house he smelled an overwhelming aroma of good down home cooking going on from within the kitchen. Walking in a bit intrigued as to who was creating this aroma because he was most certain that it couldn't be coming from Addison. Clutching his arm in fear, Sam's mother stopped her comments as she headed in with her son before they both stood back surprised to see a prepared table with a beautiful laid out meal prepared for them.

"What in the hell is this?" Sam asked shocked to see the food on the table as Addison came out with all smiles on her face

"Oh, you made it" Addison said as she gave Sam a quick kiss on the cheek knowing that his mother was probably watching them intently before she gave his mother an awkward kiss on the cheek "So did you enjoy the office?" she turned to ask his mother

"It was lovely. What is all of this?" Sam's mother asked as she looked on at the food

"Well I knew that you loved Italian food, so I ordered food from this amazing new restaurant that just opened up" Addison said as Sam began to nibble on the food

"I've been dying to try their food" Sam said to himself as he was enjoying the food

"Oh, well this is all lovely and all but I really don't think I can eat. Naomi and I went out for lunch and I got so full that I don't think I can eat anything else without feeling like a cow" Sam's mother said

"You should at least have some dessert. I mean Addison went out of her way to get this for you, and you do love Italian" Sam told his mother

"And I'm sorry that you went to all this trouble but you do understand, right?" Sam's mother asked her

"No, no. It's perfectly fine. We'll just have a lot of leftovers then" Addison laughed sadly to herself "You probably want to head up to bed, which is all prepared for you" she said before Sam slowly grabbed his plate

"Oh, Samuel didn't tell you?" Sam's mother asked

"Tell me what?" Addison asked noticing that Sam was creeping into the living room but stopped shortly once Addison grabbed ahold of the back of his shirt

"Well as you may know I have very strong Christian values. Now I know that you two are very, very much involved but Samuel has assured me that you will abide by the same Christian values" Sam's mother said

"And what exactly does that entail?" Addison asked a little confused as to what Sam signed them up for

"Sleeping in separate bedrooms" Sam's mother smiled as Addison's mouth nearly dropped in shock "I'm so thrilled that that tension is gone, now we can all just enjoy our time together" she smiled as she went over to hug her son before heading upstairs

"Separate bedrooms?" Addison turned to ask Sam

"I love you" Sam said hoping that would earn him points

"I would comment but I think if I comment now that I might regret what I will say" Addison said just flashing a smile at him that made him even more nervous as to what she was thinking "So goodnight, and enjoy your separation" she said before she turned to head upstairs climbing the stairs angrily channeling her anger with each step she took

"Oh, this week is going to be hell" Sam said to himself

"Samuel!" Sam's mother called out


	6. Sexual Tension and Mom

Chapter Six- Sexual Tension and Mom

Gripping on tight to his pillow as he hoped that he could squeeze in a bit of sleep before the drowning sounds of his alarm clock would begin to go off. Rolling over onto his back he begins to think that sleep will never come as he fears opening his eyes to look at the clock knowing that he won't have that much time before he has to get up and start getting ready for work. Clenching his eyes tight he can hear his mother fumble around in the room next door and a part of begins to cringe as he knows what is going to happen next, its always been like this ever since he was a kid so he knew just like the sky was blue what was going to happen next and just as he suspected the blaring sounds of gospel music erupts in the household. Quickly sitting up in the bed, Sam is caught off guard to see Addison sitting in the chair sipping on her usual morning coffee. For a moment Sam tries to read her while she just looks at him intently as if she's starting to ponder how to get rid of him.

"Hey" Sam smiles weakly hoping that she's warmed up to him a bit

"Don't hey me" Addison snaps at him "It has been three long days of this. Gospel in the morning, I've heard so much Gospel that the Lord and I are better terms by this point" she tells him

"I know" Sam groans as he begins to massage his head "But my mom has always done this, she used to do this every Sunday when I was a kid. I hated it then and I hate it now" he sighs

"Uh, well newsflash…today is Wednesday" Addison fires back "Sunday was unbearable and if she stays until this Sunday then it will become unbearable for you" she says

"For me? I've all ready been cut off and have to sleep in this firm ass bed. We need to get a new mattress" Sam said

"Oh, no. Next time you get downgraded to the sofa. Besides the fact that I'm still majorly pissed with you, today is the big day" Addison said as a smile quickly came to Sam's face realizing the lockout was soon coming to an end and she'd have to have sex with him

"Today is the day" Sam smiles

"Don't get all happy because it'll be the most angry sex you'll ever get because I only need little Sam" Addison tells him

"Angry sex? C'mon what am I suppose to do?" Sam asked "I can't just kick my mom out, she's my mom" he said

"I don't want you to kick your mom out, and if you think that's what I want then clearly your not ready to be forgiven" Addison said as she got up from her seat to straighten out her work clothes

"You look beautiful, I know that your still upset with me, but you look amazingly beautiful" Sam sighs as he looks on at the red head wishing he could kiss her or touch her in the way he really wanted to

"Normally I would have kissed you for that, maybe even give you a quickie for the nice words but a simple thank you will have to suffice. Now I have to sneak out of here because this has been dubbed a Christian household" Addison said before she slowly opened the door

"Is there anyway I can bribe you?" Sam whispers to ask her

"Nope" Addison said before she tip toed out of the room and over to the staircase to head downstairs while Sam looked on at the red head tip toe out his vision

"This sucks so bad" Sam whispered to himself before he groaned in frustration by the situation he was in.

* * *

Finishing up his examination on his patient, Marcus wrote down his final notes before he looked over to see Amelia writing down the adjustment numbers for the patients I.V. drip for the nurse to handle when she came back in to check on the patient. Placing the chart in the tray at the end of the bed he then left the room and stood outside for a bit waiting for Amelia to come out. Occupying his time by looking over charts that he had all ready completed earlier that day, he couldn't understand what or why he was hanging around but the fact that he was unable to reach his so called friend, who went out with Amelia a few nights ago, it had him a bit curious as to what went down. Coming out with the biggest of smiles on her face just glad to finish up the last of visits with her patients, Amelia requested her charts and began to write in her final notes on the patients she had seen earlier. Not trying to come across as stalkerish, but Marcus couldn't help but notice the painted smile on her face and it seemed to be quite annoying to him for some reason.

"So, what have you been up to?" Marcus asked trying to start a conversation

"Nothing much, just working and going out" Amelia replied not tearing her eyes away from her charts

"Oh, that sounds good" Marcus replied

"What have you been up to? Notice how I asked you in return, notice how we're having a civil conversation" Amelia laughed

"Yes, because before we probably would have been sneering at each other" Marcus stated to her "So how was your date with Abel?" he asked

"With Abe? It was nice" Amelia said as Marcus looked on with confusion by the statement

"Abe? Abe is a quote on quote ass. I mean I know he's got the looks but this is Abe we're talking about" Marcus laughed

"Abe is an ass, but I've met my fair share of asses. All I needed from Abe was a good time and I had that. I don't need Abe to be anything but himself" Amelia said as Marcus laughed to himself

"I don't get what your ideology is when it comes to dating? I mean you date…" Marcus said before Amelia cut him off

"Went on a date" Amelia quickly corrected him

"You went on a date with Abel Garcia, who is by reputation a playboy and an ass, had your so called good time with him and now your just on to the next one" Marcus replied

"That's called dating. You keep going until you find the next one and then maybe the one" Amelia said

"But you have no intention of finding the good one, your dating the wrong ones and if you keep doing that then you'll eventually just become a lesbian" Marcus said

"Lesbian, that sounds intriguing. If Lindsay Lohan could make it work with Samantha then there has got to be some hope for me" Amelia smiled

"No, no. Your not understanding the point" Marcus said

"What is the point? I went out with Abe, I plan to go out with someone else then someone else after that. I call that a great dating life" Amelia smiled before she closed up her charts

"I get the dating, but I don't the who your dating. Date a guy who actually wants a future with you not a right now screw" Marcus told her

"Look, I appreciate the talk about my dating life, which I'm a little curious as to why it's a concern for you, but I've heard all of which your saying from my mother and I'm going to tell you the same thing I told her" Amelia said before Marcus wondered what exactly Amelia told her mother

"What'd you say?" Marcus asked

"Stop worrying about me and worry about your own dating life" Amelia smiled before she handed back the charts to the nurse and then left leaving Marcus to stand in confusion

* * *

Stepping off the elevator, Addison busied herself by looking on at her blackberry, flipping through her e-mails she made mental notes to herself to look through a few of her patients charts to update. Stopping by the reception desk, Addison looked on at her messages making yet another mental note to put in appointment times for patients. All these mental notes she had floating around in her head helped take her mind off what was going on at home with Sam's mother but deep down she wished that her visit would have been something she could be happy about, but instead she finds herself counting down the days until Sam's mother would hop on a plane and leave. She really didn't care what Sam's mother thought as a whole, but it was just the fact that Sam placed his mother on such a high pedastel and truly respected her opinions on nearly everything but felt like her opinions on their relationship might change what he felt about her. Never would she even think that a guy like Sam could exist for her but now that she has him she felt like she was always on high alert for when she could lose him. Creating something with Sam was the only thing on her mind, which scared her because she had never had thoughts like this ever since her relationship with Derek. Entering into her office she was surprised to see a roses throughout the room with a vase of roses sitting on her desk with a huge card that had her name on it. A smile came to her face as she walked over to read the card and was more than happy to see that it was from Sam. Coming in behind Addison, Naomi was surprised to see all the roses and by the look on Addison's face she could all ready assume who they were from.

"He must've really screwed up" Naomi laughed "Is it the mother issue?" she asked taking a seat on the sofa

"Yeah, we're in a Christian household now so we've been a part for quite some time. I think his mother really hates me Nae" Addison said as she walked over towards her chair to take a seat

"She doesn't hate, she just thinks she can judge character easily" Naomi said

"Well she's pegged me pretty much and I'm afraid that I can't get the damn judgement off of me" Addison sighed "I've tried everything for her to like me, but she's still in love" she said

"With who?" Naomi asked

"With you. She's so in love with you" Addison laughed "It's extremely annoying" she smiled

"Oh, now she loves me. That woman always questioned the way I was raising Maya, she thought Maya should have been baptized but I didn't want to because I thought Maya should find her own religious beliefs instead of having one forced on her, from then on she sneered at anything religious between the two of us" Naomi told her as Addison busted into laughter

"I remember you telling me that story. Didn't she start crying at the dinner table during prayer one time?" Addison laughed as Naomi just rolled her eyes in annoyance of the memory

"Because Maya said Amen…she said she'll never have a real relationship with God to understand what it meant to say amen" Naomi said realizing how funny the woman's reasoning was

"If Maya would have been Jewish, that would have been priceless to see the look on her face during Hanukah celebrations" Addison laughed

"She'd have a heart attack" Naomi joined in

"Aw….thank you so much. I really needed that laugh" Addison smiled "So what brings you by? Besides your amazing talent to cheer me up" she then asked

"I have your test results and your more than ready to give the good old try, but I see I might need to check into another form of getting pregnant since you might be mad at Sam" Naomi said

"No, no. I think I've been a little hard on Sam, but I think we can manage to do the deed tomorrow" Addison said

"All right, I think I'm not ready to hear the deed between you two, but I wish you the best" Naomi said

"Sorry" Addison said "Look I don't know if I have said this to you or not, but I'm extremely grateful and appreciative that you found it within yourself to help me. I know that things will always be a little fragile between us because of what happened but I look forward to the day when we can get back to us again" she told her

"It will take time, but I think we can back to being us" Naomi smiled at her infusing a bit of hope into Addison on that day

* * *

Pulling up into the parking lot, Sam took a deep breath before he turned off the engine then turned to look at his mother. Sitting in the passenger seat, his mother began to look around at where they were and began to notice that they were at an airport. Looking on at her son she could see that he was struggling with something and wanted to find a way to tell her but was unsure as to how he could tell his mother. Getting out of the car, Sam began to pace back and forth thinking of possible ways to go about this in his mind while his mother just looked on in confusion thinking that Addison had finally drove him to insanity and was looking to collect on him. Stepping out of the car, Sam's mother immediately walked over towards her son and pulled him into a big hug and for a moment the two just held each other, each having their own reasons of holding on but he knew that he had to do this. Letting go of her embrace, Sam popped the trunk to the car and pulled his mothers bags out and rolled them over towards her which caused even more confusion for the woman.

"Samuel what is going on?" Sam's mother asked

"I love you. You're my mother and I respect you tremendously" Sam told his mother

"Okay, but why do you have my bags?" Sam's mother asked

"Because its time for you to leave. I've appreciated your visit but ever since you've showed up its just caused problems in my relationship and partially is because of me but the other part is because of you" Sam said

"Oh, so Addison wants me gone" Sam's mother said becoming a little more upset with Addison

"No, if she knew I was doing this then she would talk me out of this but its what I need to do for you to understand" Sam told her

"Understand? What do I need to understand?" Sam's mother asked

"That I love Addison. I'm planning on having a baby with Addison. I want to marry her, I want a future with Addison" Same declared "But I can't do that with you constantly throwing my past in her face. I loved Naomi, but I'm in love with Addison" he said

"Because she lured you away" Sam's mother quickly replied

"No, she didn't. Naomi and I got divorced, we were divorced for a good while before I even started having feelings for Addison. I in fact initiated things with Addison, not her" Sam said

"But she took advantage of you" Sam's mother said "Samuel, your too good of a black man to just rope yourself into a relationship in which will only lead to heartache. I've heard quite a bit about this Addison and she's broken wedding vows…do you honestly think she'll take another set seriously?" she asked

"Where did you hear this from?" Sam asked

"It doesn't matter" Sam's mother replied

"It does to me because that means someone is slandering the name of the woman I love. I love her, I love Addison. I'm fully aware of what she's done but I will not crucify her for them because I happen to believe she's more than crucified herself for them. So whoever told you these so called truths can shove it" Sam said

"Samuel" Sam's mother said in a tone that let him know that she wasn't going to be talked to in any kind of way even if he was upset

"I'm sorry" Sam quickly replied "I'm a black man, but the biggest thing is that I'm a man in love with a woman. I don't see color or believe in the notion that black men are being seduced by the white female. Love has no color preference on it" he said

"It may not but it doesn't look good" Sam's mother said

"To who? You?" Sam asked

"Do I wish that you would have took up with a black woman? Yes. I just…I worry about you" Sam's mother said

"I know you do, but I'm fine. But I can't nor will I allow you to disrespect Addison any longer because she's not Naomi or because she's not black. Addison is my future and you've got to accept that" Sam told his mother

"And if I don't?" Sam's mother asked

"Then I guess this will be your last trip out to California" Sam told his mother "I don't want things to be like this but I will not let you dictate who I can love and who I won't" he said

"It seems you've all ready made this my last trip" Sam's mother said sadly

"No, this is just you going back home because I need to repair some of yours and my damage, but this isn't the last trip. I want you in my life and I want you to come out whenever but you have to start respecting Addison" Sam said "So what is it going to be mom?" he asked his mother before a moment of silence came between them

"I love you, and I'm sorry" Sam's mother said before he pulled her into a hug

"I love you too" Sam told his mother

* * *

Sitting at his desk in his office, Marcus found himself staring out at the ocean scenery that he had come to love about his new work environment. Grabbing his phone he began to play the games on his cell phone hoping that it could inspire some sort of fun in him at the moment but instead he just found himself bored. Bored, bored, bored….he just couldn't help it that he was bored. He didn't know whether it was the fact that he had nothing to look forward to since he had finished up with his last patient or the fact that it was clear that his work was becoming his life. His personal life hadn't consisted of family like most doctors seeing as his relationship with his father and brother was damaged which trickled down to a fractured relationship with his mother. Finally becoming bored with his cell phone he tosses it to the side realizing that it was not getting the job done. Just as he began to lean back in his chair and reply back to a text message that was sent to him earlier, Amelia quickly entered his office seeming as if she had figured out the cure to cancer by the look on her face.

"I've finally got it. It finally makes sense to me now" Amelia said as she walked over towards his desk

"What are you talking about?" Marcus asked a bit confused by her statement

"Earlier, when you were asking me all those questions about Abe" Amelia said hoping to jog his memory

"Uh, okay. I'm dying to hear what it your trying to tell me but aren't getting around to" Marcus said

"Your jealous. You were jealous of my date with Abe, hell you were probably jealous of the fact that I might have slept with Abe" Amelia said bragging a little on her dating life

"Jealous? Yeah, no" Marcus said trying to keep a straight face but couldn't help but laugh at that notion "I could barely stand you and now I'm jealous of who your dating…you've lost it somewhere in between that theory and now" he said

"You asked questions like it bugging you. Like you had been thinking about it" Amelia said "Just admit it" she laughed

"Admit what?" Marcus said

"Admit that you were jealous that someone cashed in on the sex" Amelia laughed

"Oh, for the love of God. Amelia, why is sex that big of deal for you" Marcus said

"Regardless of what you trying to portray…I know you wanted to sleep with me, I know you still wanted to sleep with me" Amelia smiled "Sex, is a primal urge between two adults. Sex is essential to dating, its essential to everything" she declared

"Then I guess that's where our opinions differ. I actually care about more things than just sex, besides your not my type" Marcus smiled

"I'm everyone's type" Amelia teased "Do I still find you a pompous know it all, yes. But I still find you pleasing to the eye, and you can't tell me you don't think the same" she said

"Yes, I think very highly of myself" Marcus replied

"Opposites do attract, you know that right" Amelia pointed out "Hell we can still despise each other but find each other…sexually pleasing" she said flashing her usual seductive smile as he looked at quizzically wondering where she was going with this

"You've got the whole sexy smile working for you, and then the mid driffs that are becoming painfully obvious way of drawing attention to yourself" Marcus told her "But no, your not my type" he said

"Oh, my God….why don't you just admit it" Amelia laughed as she took a seat on the corner of his desk making sure to cross her legs in a seductive manner that caught his attention "You can't tell me that you don't think about what it would have been like if you just would have come inside" she whispered in his ear as she rested his hands on her legs

"Are you always this difficult" Marcus said soft enough for her to hear as he rose to his feet while moving in closer towards her. Opening up her legs so that he could walk in between, she then rested her hands back on the desk feeling as if she was anxiously awaiting how naughty he could be "I admit it. I've….only….been…thinking about one thing" he said as his hands trailed along the side of her arm before it slowly began to pull back the cardigan she was wearing to reveal the bare skin of her shoulder before he slowly leaned towards her to where their faces were inches away from each other. Feeling like her train of thought was all screwed up due to the closeness between them and the insurmountable tension that continued to build as she wondered if he would make the first move.

"And what's that?" Amelia whispered in his ear as she wrapped her legs around his waist to show that she was more than willing to take this to the next step but before she could motion to anything else the intercom on Marcus's phone went off

"Mr. King, your girl friend has arrived" The receptionist told him before Marcus quickly backed away and leaned over to pick up his briefcase leaving Amelia confused

"Girlfriend?" Amelia said to herself before she turned to look at him walk over towards his door "What were you thinking about all day!" she yelled at him feeling more than hot and bothered after he got her all worked up

"That I had a date at seven" Marcus laughed as he walked out of the office

* * *

Wrapped up in naked embrace, Addison couldn't help but laugh to herself at how persuasive Sam could be into forgiving him. Resting her head on his chest while he rubbed her back, she swore that she wanted to spend the rest of her life like this with him and just happier than ever. With Derek when they fought it was usually cold silence and tension, but even with Sam, fighting was different. Even when they fought they still managed to drive each other crazy in the sense that made them want each other even more, fighting wasn't often for them. She felt like she was a teen all over again where she was in love for the first time and every thing that was crazy was good between them and then when things are good, they're really good.

"So describe your mother's face again?" Addison asked with a slight laugh as she linked her hand with his

"It was like an overwhelming shock mixed with a whole lot of Christian bravado" Sam laughed

"Christian bravado? What is that?" Addison laughed as she sat up to look at him

"I have no way of explaining it" Sam laughed hysterically trying to stop himself from falling out of the bed but luckily Addison had grabbed onto his waste to stop him

"You're a klutz tonight" Addison smiled before he leaned down to kiss her

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how things went down this week" Sam said as he broke the kiss

"I forgive you. Though your repayment for my forgiveness will be pretty steep…I'm talking home cooked dinners, extra sessions of sex therapy, and a Lebron lesson" Addison compromised with him

"I can't teach Lebron, you just have to know the greatness that is him" Sam replied

"I want Lebron" Addison declared

"All right, all right" Sam gave in "Maybe I should call my mom and see how she is" he thought

"No need, I called earlier when Amelia told me what your plan was. I even got her an upgraded to a presidential suite" Addison smiled proudly "The Captain has frequented so many times with his romps that the Four Seasons has considered him a member" she said "In fact she even agreed to go to brunch with me tomorrow" she clapped excitedly

"Wow, I'm impressed. With everything my mother has put you through this week and you still want to impress her.I'm amazingly impressed with you Addison Forbes blah blah Montgomery" Sam said stumbling through her full name which made her laugh "Your full name is so damn long" he laughed

"Hey, its not like I named me" Addison said

"Clearly. That should have been a sign with your parents then, when they gave you such a long name….I mean its like they couldn't compromise on a name so they snuck it put on the birth certificate just to spite each other" Sam laughed

"If Archer had his way he would have put Spot on there as well" Addison said

"Addison Spot Montgomery, that's sexy" Sam teased making Addison laugh at the stupidity of that name

"That's not sexy, that's a cry for psychiatric help. Only you'd find that sexy" Addison replied in between laughter

"I find you sexy so therefore I would find any name that you have sexy" Sam said

"Your such a kiss ass. I've forgiven you, no need to kiss ass anymore" Addison laughed

"Do you ever think about it?" Sam then asked

"What? Kissing your ass?" Addison asked him

"About names? About our kids name?" Sam asked her

"Uh…I've never gotten that far. I mean being told I could be pregnant would be exciting as is to where I just might name the kid excited" Addison said

"Okay, well, lets say that you have just been told that your pregnant with our beautiful, handsome baby boy" Sam told her as he pushed a strand of hair away from her face letting the moonlight display her natural beauty that he loved about her "What would you name him?" he asked her ever so softly to where tears began to sting her eyes

"Sam" Addison replied softly not wanting to allow herself to be so bold to think that with her situation she could just imagine so easily "I can't.." she tried to say before he pulled her closer to him

"Imagine" Sam whispered softly to her "Between me and you, imagine that moment" he said lightly rubbing her cheeks trying to prevent the tears that were forming. For a moment she fought herself internally as she didn't want to get swept up in the moment of bliss. "Just close your eyes and just imagine" he instructed her as she did as told trying her best to compare her emotions

"I feel like a mess right now" Addison laughed through her tears

"Stop, your beautiful" Sam replied as he looked on at her with her eyes closed shut hoping that she could find it within herself to believe. A moment of silence came between them as she struggled to find the image of her as a mother let alone holding her own child. Feeling his lips press against her forehead she soon saw a glimpse of something she had never once seen before in the darkened images

"Ben. His name is Ben" Addison said holding on tight to the image afraid to open her eyes in fear that it would go away

"Yeah" Sam smiled as if he were a proud father all over again "What does he look like?" he then asked excitedly as he saw tears of happiness stream down her face

"He's perfect" Addison replied "He's perfect" she then repeated before Sam pulled her in once again to kiss her forehead as he couldn't help but love her more than in this moment right now.


	7. Baby Steps

Chapter Seven- Baby Steps

Looking in on the little girl resting so peacefully, Addison's heart nearly swelled with happiness as she could only hope that sometime in her future she would get to experience this moment everyday rather than whenever Maya would come over. Sam had never broadcasted the fact that he had made a little space for Olivia because he knew how desperate Addison was to have a baby and the fact that he was a grandfather with a young toddler he just thought it'd be too much. Wanting to embrace every aspect of Sam's life she had snuck off one day and truly decked out Olivia's now proclaimed room and turned it into a princess dream but had made sure not to go overboard because she didn't want to seem like the crazed aunt who wanted a kid and would use any baby as hers. Realizing that she had been gone away too long from the table, Addison made her way out of the room after putting the night light on before she gently closed the door behind her before she headed back down stairs. Hearing the laughter between a daughter and father illuminate the room, Addison couldn't help but smile at how amazing Sam was as a father and that she couldn't wait to share her life with him as a parent.

"What'd I miss?" Addison asked as she joined them at the table

"We were just talking about Maya's attempt to be a cheerleader" Sam laughed "I remember you had one cheer and you thought it was sooo good but it was just the complete opposite" he laughed hysterically before Addison hit him on the arm

"Sam" Addison said

"You've heard the cheer" Sam said turning to look at both Addison and Maya

"You can be honest" Maya said in between laughs

"It was pretty interesting…it was memorable" Addison said before she busted into laughter "It was like a Bring it Less moment" she said as they all continued on with their laughter

"So what are our plans for this weekend?" Maya asked

"I don't know. Whatever you want to do?" Sam said as he got up to collect all of the plates to take to the kitchen

"Where is Dink?" Addison asked

"He's away on a tournament, and mom is off on a business trip so I'm all yours this weekend" Maya smiled "And Olivia of course" she added

"Well we're happy to have you guys" Addison smiled just as Amelia made her way inside the house with a case of beer and a box of pizza in hand

"Game is on in twenty" Amelia said putting the beer and pizza down on the counter before turning on the television while Sam quickly put ice in a cup and made his way into the living room to join Amelia while Addison and Maya looked on with confusion

"Okay, what's happening here?" Addison asked

"The Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers is happening" Maya laughed

"Okay, I'm guessing this is a basketball thing" Addison concluded as Amelia popped off the top of her beer before she leaned back in her chair looking depressed more than ever

"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked as he sipped on his beer while Addison and Maya walked over to join them

"Marcus" Amelia muttered

"Marcus King, we've discussed a lot of his work in my health science class. He's like better than reading a textbook" Maya praised

"Why is Marcus the thing that's wrong with you?" Sam asked

"Because he's so damn…frustrating. I mean he just confusing and difficult" Amelia complained

"I thought you didn't like him or should I say couldn't stand him?" Addison asked

"I can't or at least I thought. Now I just think that I want to torture him just for the sake of it" Amelia said "Like really make him suffer" she said

"That sounds a little alarming" Maya said

"Not in that way" Amelia sighed

"I'm confused here, I thought you didn't like him?" Addison asked again trying to grasp the situation

"It's actually quite simple" Sam laughed "She's being beat at her own game. Marcus is very much like Amelia in the sense that he's slept with practically everyone, but now that he doesn't want to sleep with Amelia…it's driving her insane" he laughed

"Yes! It's driving me insane. I mean he's all hot one moment then cold the other" Amelia declared

"Hot one moment?…Maya, I think you should get ready for bed" Sam asked before he realized what this was leading to

"Its okay dad, this is better than Sex in the City" Maya replied fully invested in the story

"Maya, go to bed" Sam sighed as Maya just rolled her eyes then obliged her fathers wish

"Goodnight everyone" Maya said sadly as she headed upstairs

"Now what exactly did you do? And are we going to get a lawsuit?" Sam asked after he made sure that Maya was upstairs and not lurking around

"I tried to seduce him, it was working for a moment because he was responding but then he just lead me on and left with his girlfriend" Amelia told them

"He has a girlfriend?" Addison asked

"Yes, he has a girlfriend. So your theory on him being like me is wrong because clearly he can be monogamous" Amelia said

"You can be monogamous you just choose not to be" Addison replied

"Not the point Addie, the point is that he has to go" Amelia said "Can't we like move him off to those trips that Naomi takes all the time. He could travel and report back to the practice but doesn't have to be physically present" she suggested

"We can't do that, he brings in money to the practice with the patients he's bringing in. It'd be insane of us to just kick him out because he won't hop into bed with you" Sam replied

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. Your choosing money over me?" Amelia asked hoping to tug on Sam's heart strings

"Yes" Addison and Sam both said at the same time

"Maybe you should focus on someone new, meet someone new" Addison suggested

"I tried that but the guy I ended up dating was friends with Marcus" Amelia said

"Then date someone other than one of his friends" Sam laughed

"Dating in L.A. sucks" Amelia pouted as Addison couldn't help but laugh to herself

"I see the tide has turned" Addison laughed

* * *

Cuddling up close to her, Sam rested his face in the crook of her neck before she slowly rolled over to cuddle up close to his body. A slight smile came to his face as she had become his teddy bear of some sorts that he had to have close in order to have a goodnights sleep. Taking in his scent, Addison would have bet money years ago that she'd never feel this content again with someone, she always kind of figured she'd be single for the longest ever since Derek remarried. Having Sam in her life just made things click and fit like a puzzle like it was suppose to be like this. All of this occurred just by being wrapped up in his embrace as they slept in the Saturday morning. Feeling more content as they rest they were brought back to reality when they heard cries coming from Olivia's room. It had been a while since Sam had heard this noise as a parent, but since he had decided to let Maya go over to her friends house for the weekend after one of her friends called last night, he knew that he'd have to assume the role of the proud grandpa but if only he could move was all he thought.

"I'll get her" Addison said as she broke away from his embrace to get out of bed while Sam sat up in bed watching her leave the room. Heading inside of Olivia's room, Addison beamed with happiness when she saw the little girl smiling back at her. Picking her up from her crib, the two headed back to Addison and Sam's room to join Sam back in bed. Putting her in the middle as she climbed back in bed, Addison and Sam looked on at the little girl who was fascinated with playing with the covers.

"What do you two want to do today?" Sam asked "I was thinking we could head out to the zoo or go to the aquarium" he suggested excitedly

"I think you know where I want to go but I think Liv should have the final say" Addison smiled as looked on at the little girl "How about Liv? The aquarium or the zoo?" she asked as the little girl clapped excitedly for the zoo

"Ha!" Sam laughed as Addison's choice wasn't selected "I guess that'll have to be another time" he smiled

"Yeah, well lucky for you I happen to love this little girl and am willing to go to the zoo. But you will be taking me to the aquarium very soon" Addison stated as she got up from the bed and walked over towards her closet just as she began to feel a kink in her lower back.

"So what do you think about this whole Marcus and Amelia thing? It could be bad" Sam asked her as he stayed on the bed playing with Olivia

"I think Amelia will eventually move on from him, I mean they haven't done anything so she'll get bored with him and find the next hot thing" Addison said

"But do you think its wise for her to keep finding the next hot thing? I mean its Amelia we're talking about and she should be trying to figure out what she wants" Sam said as Addison couldn't help but laugh at how parent like he sounded over the girl they both claimed to love like a sister

"Aren't we all protective" Addison laughed "Amelia is on Amelia time. She will figure things out on her own terms and we can't fault her for that" she said

"I'm not faulting, I just think that maybe she should focus on one thing at a time and not the plethora of things that catch her attention. She's a brilliant surgeon, but she's got to have more to her life than that. Its like my mom always told me…" Sam said before Addison quickly interrupted

"I'd tread carefully with the statement your about to say" Addison warned him

"Its like my mom always told me, what you do in this world is important but it's the things that you leave behind and the people you touch that leave the legacy" Sam told her

"Well maybe you should talk with her or better yet, set Amelia up with one of your friends" Addison suggested as Sam took a moment to process that thought for a while before Addison came out to put her clothes on the bed "What do you think Liv? Should grandpa set up Auntie Amelia" she said before laughing hysterically towards the end from calling Sam a grandfather

"Your horrible" Sam laughed

* * *

Desperate to just clear her head of all the things she had today from calling her mother, calling Derek, looking over this weeks surgeries, and finding a new cable network. Amelia just felt the urge to run, it was the best way to help her clear her mind and access. The more she explored California she began to realize more and more how much she enjoyed the change of scenery and how it was really nice to be around friends that were more like family to her. On her days when she was going through her addiction phase, it was easy to be surrounded by people but that didn't exactly mean they were good for her, but with Addison and Sam she felt like she was truly a part of family and that they embraced all that was her including her usual rude comments and her craziness. She wanted to develop a relationship with Derek but she knew so much of it had been damaged that the relationship they could have had was gone but they could work on the future. Maybe the future is what scared her she thought, maybe it's the things she supposed to know that she doesn't by know is what scares her the most about her life and that's what keeps her constantly on the go she just kept thinking as her fast paced running came to a halt. Taking a few moments to catch her breath she was caught off guard to see Marcus pulling up along the sidewalk. Not wanting to draw attention to herself she just pretended like she didn't see him as he got out of his car to pull out a basketball and a water ball from the trunk of his car. His face immediately lit up with a smile as he saw the brunette trying to pretend like he wasn't there.

"Hey Sheperd" Marcus smiled as he walked up towards her "What are you doing up so early?" he asked

"I was out for a run" Amelia said still out of breath "You play?" she asked

"Yes, I treat them and I'm one" Marcus laughed "My game has gotten a little rusty though" he told her

"Your game is far from rusty" Amelia replied as he just smiled at her

"Oh, well thank you. You weren't that bad yourself" Marcus said "So you run a lot?" he asked

"Small talk, really? We're going to just pretend like what happened never happened?" Amelia quickly asked him

"Somehow I was wondering when your bluntness was going to come out" Marcus said knowing that this version of her was unreal "Nothing happened between us" he said

"And does your girlfriend know that?" Amelia asked

"Girlfriend?" Marcus asked confusedly

"Oh, your one of those guys. Out of sight, out of mind" Amelia laughed to herself

"No, I'm not because I don't have a girlfriend" Marcus replied

"Uh, yeah, you do. The receptionist said you girlfriend was there to see you. I have great hearing and that's what I heard" Amelia said

"Girlfriend as in dating and monogamous relationship, right?" Marcus asked

"Or in your case a cheating one" Amelia quickly replied

"The other night I went out with a girl friend, as in friend that happens to be a girl. We went to college together and she happens to be engaged" Marcus laughed

"You said it was a date though" Amelia said

"Because my schedule has been so crazy that I literally had to set it months ago. It was date between friends" Marcus said

"That's just great" Amelia said becoming angry before she began to storm off as Marcus just followed behind

"So what? Your mad now?" Marcus asked before Amelia quickly turned around to look at him

"That makes it twice. Two times that you turned me down!" Amelia said angrily "I mean what is it with you? Is there something wrong with me or are you gay because I'm a very hot" she declared

"First of all, we weren't going to have sex in my office. I was just going along with the game you were trying to play on me, but I had not intention of taking it further than teasing. And nothing is wrong with you, its just…" Marcus said before Amelia cut him off

"I'm what?" Amelia asked "I don't want to know. Don't tell me because I don't care what you think of me" she said

"Do you have to be so aggressive? I mean damn, its like you're the guy" Marcus said as Amelia just looked at him

"Aggressive? Because I know what I want or who I want?" Amelia asked

"When you say want what do you mean? that's the confusing part because you say want in general text of I want you and only you but what you actually mean is I want you for now" Marcus said

"And what's wrong with that? You should be used to it because you've clearly made your rounds in this city" Amelia said

"Yeah, and I have nothing to show for it. I've had the girls and had the benefits of memorable one night stands but I'm getting older and I want something real now" Marcus said

"Real? I bet I can go on the internet right now and look you up and find random girls you've been with over the course of a month" Amelia said

"Those are just photographs to show who was there or spotted with who, but it doesn't mean I was with that person. I go out, I'm not going to lie about that but my bed has been a solo sleep" Marcus said

"I don't believe you" Amelia replied

"That's fine because I'm not trying to get you to believe me, but if your wondering why I'm not so desperate to tear your clothes off those are my reasons" Marcus said before he walked off leaving her behind to stew in confusion yet again from their encounters. Unable to take the confusions, Amelia pulled her cell phone and called up her only lifeline in this fight.

"Hey, what's up?" Sam asked as he answered his phone

"Where are you?" Amelia asked hearing crazy noises in the back round "Are you having sex?" she asked

"Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm at the zoo" Sam said

"Oh, sorry. I need to ask you something?" Amelia asked

"Okay, what would that be?" Sam asked

"Do I act like a guy when it comes to meeting people?" Amelia asked

"Yes" Sam replied as Amelia sighed in frustration "Where is this coming from?" he then asked

"Marcus" Amelia sighed "I just ran into him" she said

"Please tell me you didn't try to force yourself on him?" Sam asked

"No, I didn't" Amelia replied "But I need your help with something, I need your help with him" she said

"Why are you targeting him?" Sam asked

"Because he's wrong about me, and I'm tired of seeing that stupid smirk on his face every time he thinks he is" Amelia said

"So what am I suppose to do?" Sam asked

"Invite me over for dinner tonight" Amelia suggested

"That's crazy, you come over all the time. You're the one who eats up all the leftovers" Sam said

"I'm not done yet, invite me and invite Marcus. We'll accidentally be there and then he'll see a different side of me" Amelia revealed her plan

"Your still the same person that you are at the office, but more rated R at home" Sam told her

"I'll see you tonight, and don't forget to call him" Amelia said "Oh, and make that chicken dish I love. Make extras because I don't feel like grocery shopping" she then added

"I'm ending this call" Sam told her

* * *

Sitting on the living room floor playing with Olivia, Addison secretly couldn't wait until Sam was done with dinner because she was dying to eat what smelled so good in the kitchen. Feeling yet another slight pain in her back, she was just anxious to get this kink out of her back that had seemed to be bugging her all day while she did her best to be the fun and playful aunt for Olivia. Grabbing a beer from the fridge as he waited for the rest of the food to finish, Sam walked over to the living room to join Addison and Olivia on the floor just as Amelia came charging in. Inspecting the house like it was hers, Amelia went into the kitchen and observed the food selection along with the wine that Sam had chosen and felt a bit at ease to see that he had things covered. Grabbing a wine class from the pantry she immediately poured herself a drink to take the edge off if that were possible for her.

"You know they always say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Maybe you should trying cooking next time" Sam told Amelia as she began to pace the living room floor

"What's with you?" Addison asked

"I don't know. I've been like this ever since I went running this morning, its.." Amelia said before Addison and Sam cut her off

"Marcus" Addison and Sam said

"Exactly" Amelia declared not noticing where their attention had gone towards the door to see that Marcus was standing outside "I mean I don't know what it is about him…its just so…confusing" she went on to say as Marcus just stood there listening in on the words that Amelia was telling her friends before Addison got up to give Amelia a comforting nudge before she walked over to the door to let Marcus in. Secretly dying inside, Amelia kept telling herself that there was no way he could have heard anything she said, but thinking back to the moments when she would come over and happened to interrupt Sam and Addison during sex…she heard every bit of the whispers they would tell each other as they scurried to put their clothes on.

"Was it hard finding the place?" Addison asked Marcus as he made his way in to stand beside Amelia who still looked mortified out of her mind as Sam just laughed

"I remember Sheperd's place, and I remembered she said she said you two lived next door" Marcus replied

"Well dinner should be almost done. Sam, why don't we see about that?" Addison asked as Sam seemed perfectly content on watching Amelia

"No, I'm good" Sam replied as Addison picked up Olivia then walked over to Sam

"Help. Now" Addison said as Sam reluctantly followed behind her into the kitchen while Marcus and Amelia stood alone in the living room

"Confusing, huh? I always thought I was simple to understand" Marcus said as he leaned over to put the bottle of wine he had brought down on the table "If you have a question, you can always ask. I don't want you to be confused" he said flashing his million dollar smile that she realized was making her weak in the knees.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Sam looked on at the two of them making awkward conversation as Amelia tried to suffer through her embarrassment while Addison prepared a bottle for Olivia. Noticing how much attention Sam was paying to Amelia, Addison quickly kicked him in the but to catch his attention. "Really, Sam" Addison told him as he began to massage his bottom

"This is pure comedy right here" Sam laughed as Addison just looked at him

"I need you to go run the bath water for Olivia" Addison instructed him

"Why? We're about to eat" Sam said

"You need to be occupied" Addison said as she pushed Sam towards the staircase as he eventually obliged her wish. Bouncing the baby in her arms she just smiled on happily at the little girl as she could see that she was enjoying it "I hope someday that you meet a guy and you don't play all these games with him. The only games you should be playing is dodge ball or chess or something" she told the baby as Olivia just smiled back at Addison

* * *

Dinner had gone as smooth as to be expected with Marcus and Sam talking about their prospective sports teams, on occasion Amelia would jump in with her two scents but Addison just listened on as she was in the beginning stages of learning sports. It was easy to see what Amelia found appealing about Marcus or what she wanted to corrupt in him as Addison kept thinking to herself. Marcus of course was the playboy doctor that you would most likely find on a television series, but there was something sincere about him that made her see that this image that was projected through the media about him was far from true. In some ways, Marcus reminded her of Derek and how he was as a fresh and up and coming doctor that was only just beginning the prime of his work. Feeling waves of tiredness come over throughout the day, Addison would have been lying to say that she thought this could have been symptoms but she knew in her case it was just her being exhausted and she didn't want to alarm Sam because she knew he'd be worried. After dinner was over, Amelia and Marcus had decided to hang out a little bit more so that they could give Addison and Sam a break. Knowing that Addison was most likely tired after their long day, Sam cleaned up the kitchen while Addison put Olivia down to sleep. Heading into the bedroom he saw Addison all ready in bed looking as if she was halfway asleep, climbing in the bed beside her he just brushed away the strand of hair that rested on her face.

"You ready for this?" Sam laughed

"Not tonight, I'm tired" Addison said as she cuddled up close to him "Can we just cuddle tonight" she laughed

"I wasn't talking about that" Sam laughed "I meant having a baby. Today was fun but we're gonna get those nights where they can't go to sleep or they get up early" he told her

"Today was fun though" Addison smiled "I liked going to the zoo and looking at her eyes light up with all the different animals. Then with you being scared by the monkeys" she said laughing at the image of Sam freaking out about the monkeys and he tried to shield Olivia and her away from them

"I've never been a fan of monkeys" Sam laughed as Addison leaned over to kiss him a few times on the lips "They're dangerous" he said in between kisses

"I know it will be difficult at first for us but I believe we can do it" Addison said

"Even though my track record as a father hasn't been so great?" Sam asked shying away from her eyes "I mean don't get me wrong, I love my grandchild but Maya getting pregnant at a young age wasn't ideal. Maya should be spending nights over at her friends all the time and not when she can get a babysitter" he sighed

"I happen to think you're a great father" Addison smiled proudly at him "And a great grandfather, even though you hate that title, I happen to think you're a great guy that I'm so lucky to have" she told him "I don't know how we'll be as parents but I know that as long as we do this together then it'll work. I love you, you know that right?" she said

"So if I supply our kid with drugs, you'd be fine with that?" Sam teased

"Oh, yeah. We can have a little crack baby" Addison laughed "We could raise a lady of the night" she then added

"Yes, yes. Make it like a combo order thing. It could bring in business for the practice, get a possible std then we'll cure it" Sam laughed

"This makes us sound like horrible parents. Us joking like this is so horrible" Addison laughed hysterically

"Hey, it just might happen with me as a parent" Sam laughed

"No, it won't. I won't let it" Addison said pulling him into a kiss

"You should stop kissing me because if we keep kissing then I'm going to want to" Sam laughed as he broke the kiss as Addison fell back on her pillow in laughter "We can keep kissing but if I have to take a cold shower don't be surprised" he said Addison continued to laugh hysterically before she got up from the bed "Where are you going?" he asked in between laughter

"I'm laughing so much that I have to pee" Addison said on her way into the restroom

* * *

Digging her feet into the sand, Amelia thought to herself how rare she did this on her spare time of being in Los Angeles, just sitting in the sand looking out at the ocean. Marcus would occasionally point out the many stars that he had knew of but in his own way he was just trying to impress her. Tossing her shoes to the side of her, she wanted to fully enjoy the moment as she just kept telling herself how beautiful it was to live so close to this type of scenery. Growing up she never really stopped to look on at stuff like this because she was so busy running from everything and anything after her father had died. Much of her relationship with Derek was ruined because she just couldn't manage to slow down, but now she finally understood or had an inkling of an idea of what it meant to slow down to enjoy the moments.

"My father was gunned down and shot when I was little, and I have to say ever since then I never really thought there was a reason to just sit and stare. Ever since then…taking care of my mom and all…I just didn't see the point of this…but now, I want to" Amelia said

"Did you have a good relationship with your father?" Marcus asked

"Yeah, the best. My mom always tells me that I was my father's shadow, wherever he went I went as well. I just remember he'd always give me a dollar in quarters so that I could buy my favorite candy before heading home, he'd say that it was our little secret and that my mom never had to know" Amelia laughed

"It's amazing how the simple things always made us smile and now simple just doesn't work for us anymore" Marcus told her as he stared off out onto the ocean

"Simple never works now, its always the grander things" Amelia laughed

"I know you can't go back and change what happened to that girl, who lost her father, but you could go back to that belief" Marcus said

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked

"That girl who believed that her father was the greatest…the girl who probably modeled her first love and the man she would marry after her father" Marcus said "I think you deserve that, you deserve to have a man with the spirit of your father" he said

"And you? What do you think you deserve?" Amelia asked after a moment of silence passed between them

"I haven't quite figured that out yet" Marcus replied "But I'll let you know when I do" he said as he rose to his feet

"So your leaving?" Amelia smiled as she rose to her feet

"I was kind of hoping that we could grab some dessert or something. I know this great bakery, and I have a real dessert craving right now" Marcus laughed

"Dessert sounds good" Amelia smiled


	8. Scare

Chapter Eight- Scare

Sitting amongst her father and her brother in what was a rare occasion, Addison wasn't quite sure how she should handle this whole affair. So much of her had tried to put this part of her life behind her, but it just seemed like her mother even in the afterlife to just keep popping up to haunt her life. Archer's presence to her hadn't been the same since he last visited, it seemed to have caused her more panic or stress than enjoyment of getting to spend time with her brother because so much of him was like the Captain, who Addison just had to admit that she didn't want a relationship with. The love she wanted from her parents she had yearned for her whole life but with the death of her mother, and the hell she had gone through just to realize that it wasn't her fault and the risks she took with her relationship with Sam, she needed to walk away from that part of her that wanted to feel that unconditional love a parent was suppose to give and just realize that she didn't have those types of parents, she had the Captain and Bizzy. Looking on at his watch like this was true inconvenience for him, which she knew in all reality it was, Archer just wanted the lawyer to come in all ready and be done with whatever business they needed to handle while all Addison could do was look out the window. A sigh of relief came to Archer and the Captain once their family lawyer, Preston Michaels, came in and began to go threw the paperwork to gather the particular ones he needed before looked on at them.

"What is it? We don't have all day" Archer said in his demanding tone

"Arch" The Captain said to Archer which only made Addison laugh to herself to hear him try to be a parent now of all times

"Okay, I just wanted to bring you all in to discuss your mothers and your wife's final wishes" Preston told them

"Final wishes? Her will has all ready been read and the funds have been distributed" Archer said "What more did Bizzy have to say?" he asked

"Well along with Bizzy there was another will that had been found…Susan's" Preston said

"She's not my wife though, neither was Bizzy towards the end" The Captain replied

"Yes, but there was another" Preston replied

"Does this change what happened with the first will? Will it stand?" Archer asked

"Yes, it will stand but there were additional items added that we were unsure of" Preston said

"So what does Susan have to do with this?" Addison asked

"C'mon Addie, whatever Bizzy did, Susan did" Archer smirked

"Bizzy and Susan invested in a home together in Los Angeles, closer to Addison. The final payments on the house have totaled up to eighty thousand but the payments they were making it would have been paid off less than a year" Preston said leaving Addison a bit confused

"Why L.A?" Addison asked

"Her life and her lie was in Connecticut" Archer said

"Arch, please…this day is all ready tough as is, the snaky comments don't help" Addison finally snapped at her brother

"No, she's making final wishes now! You want me to sit here and take seriously what our mother, the lesbian, and her lovers wishes were? I can't do that Addison!" Archer yelled at his sister as the Captain just shrugged in his seat

"Is it really necessary that I be here for this? I mean its clear that if Bizzy and Susan made an investment together they intended it to be for Addison and Archer?" The Captain asked

"With the way things are set up, yes. The house was willed to Addison Montgomery" Preston said as a moment of silence fell upon the room "Bizzy also left behind her collection of diaries that she kept over the years for Addison to have as well" he then said as he looked on at Addison who seemed to go numb at this point

"That's great, Addie has a new house. Can we go now? I have a flight to catch" Archer said getting up from his chair

"The property adjacent to it, that was willed to Archer Montgomery. If both choose to not accept then it will be put into your name Captain" Preston told them all

"So basically, Bizzy and Susan bought a house then some land and they left to the children so we could what? Build another house and just have one big happy family picnic together?" Addison asked a bit confused "And the diaries is just some way for us to publish her life story as a closeted lesbian?" she asked in disbelief

"Now who's got the snark?" Archer asked with a bit a laughter with the sudden change of tune in Addison

"This is ridiculous?" Addison said getting up from her chair but had to quickly grab onto the arm of the chair to catch her balance, luckily Archer nor the Captain saw her gesture because the last thing she wanted from them was concern "What did they want?" she asked

"Look, I don't know what Bizzy and Susan wanted but all I know is this is what she had decided to do" Preston replied "Addie, this is your mother we're talking about. If Bizzy left these diaries behind it wasn't for personal gain" he said

"Ever since I've known Bizzy she kept a diary. She wouldn't even let me see, I didn't expect her to but her diaries were sacred to her" The Captain said as if he were in a trance

"I know what she wanted, she wanted her bills to be paid off. Addie takes the house and pays off what's due then I take the property that probably has tons of rennovation plans locked in all ready" Archer sighed "Bizzy hated to be common, and being less than what she was is not her style" he said

"So now you know who Bizzy was in her final days?" Addison snapped at her brother feeling as if he had no right "Let's not forget who couldn't be bothered to be by Bizzy's side, so please, just please, don't show your concern for me" she said "Preston, do whatever you have to do, but sale on my part" she then said

"Addison, I can't do that. The Captain still has dibs to that land" Preston replied

"Sale the damn house! Keep the damn diaries! I don't want it! I didn't want the necklace and I don't want the house!" Addison yelled "I don't need anything from her" she then said

"Captain, do you want the house?" Preston asked becoming annoyed with the bunch quickly

"No" The Captain replied

"There, all settled" Addison said grabbing her purse slowly so that she didn't over exert herself like before but could feel the tightening in her back as she moved

"Addie" The Captain said

"Go home, the both of you. I don't care where it is, but just go" Addison said before she turned to leave the office. Making her way out of the lobby, Addison did the best she could to hold herself together but it just became too much for her, it just felt like the weight of the world had just been put back on to her shoulders when not too long ago she lifted it off. Putting her shades on as she headed out into the parking lot, she took a moment to catch her breath as she knew the stress of it all was getting to her. Finally able to pull herself together she could see Sam pulling up towards her. Quickly getting into the car all she wanted to do was get out of here and just get back to her life.

"So how'd it go?" Sam asked as he took off and drove them back to the practice

"I don't want to talk about it" Addison replied

"Addison" Sam said as Addison just sat quietly in her seat looking out the window. For a moment, Sam was willing to accept her answer but he knew it was never good for Addison to bottle it all in because it only made things worse, so pulling the car over to the side of the road surely got a reaction out of Addison who turned to look at him angrily

"Are you being serious right now?" Addison asked angrily

"Yes, I am. How'd it go?" Sam asked

"It went peachy. Captain, Archer, and I all held each other and exchanged promises to visit for Christmases. Then what was really special was that my father gave me that good old fatherly advice, in which I said, I'm sure glad your there to protect me daddy" Addison said sarcastically

"You've got a good imagination. Now can you tell me what happened that's gotten you so stressed out? Was it Bizzy?" Sam asked

"It's always Bizzy" Addison griped

"Okay, well what did she do?" Sam asked hoping that this would make progress

"I'm not…you know what, I don't need this" Addison said unbuckling her seat belt to get out of the car before Sam turned off the engine and quickly hopped out of the car to get in front of her

"What are you doing? Don't do this" Sam told her

"Get out of my way!" Addison yelled at him

"No" Sam replied

"Get out of my way Sam!" Addison yelled once again

"Tell me what happened?" Sam asked once again

"Get out of my way!" Addison screamed at him and like before she got no effort on his part to move and then just following her instinct she began to hit him as if she were just trying to hit at the world. For the most part, Sam let her hit him because he was strong enough to take the blows literally and figuratively but the more she hit the more she weakened until she finally broke down into tears. Holding her close her just soothed her knowing that even though she hadn't revealed a word that this was still very much what she needed

"It's okay. I'm right here. I'm right here" Sam whispered to her as he just held her close to him

* * *

Finishing up with her final patient for the day, all Amelia could think about was going out tonight and grabbing some beers to just ease herself into the next day. She knew it wasn't exactly the most responsible thing but every part of her felt tense and just needed to relax. Since hanging out, Amelia and Marcus had frequented doing lunch together and occasionally happening to meet up for a quick dinner when they were working late, in her own way she liked that he wasn't so pressed to title things and just wanted to enjoy things and each other. Things were just very, very casual between them and that's how she liked it. One by one she handed over her charts to the nurse at the station as she finished, counting down in her head the seconds until she got to leave. Before she could fully enjoy the thrill of being done for the evening or at least for a few hours, Marcus and Charlotte followed behind what appeared to be the board of the hospital. By the looks on their faces from both Marcus and the board, Amelia quickly followed behind as they headed into Charlottes office.

"I want all the logs on staff from janitorial to nurses, even to doctors" One of the board members said

"That's crazy" Charlotte fired back finding it ridiculous

"Really? You have a doctor on payroll that is being held in jail for soliciting pills to minors, who had help from the inside, what part was crazy to you?" The head of the board asked

"You know what I meant. I have taken necessary action and surveillance videos will be on my desk tonight" Charlotte replied

"The nurses have gone over numerous logs to see who had frequent access to the medicine hall" Marcus said

"I don't care! My main concern is making sure that the staff we stand by is respectable" The head of the board replied

"And I have done that" Charlotte replied

"Well we do it my way then. I want background checks, I want prescription records, I want logs…I want everything" The head of the board replied

"Shouldn't we be presenting a unified front as opposed to tearing down house? I mean we're all ready being scrutinized as is and if we show cracks then the media will pick up on this" Marcus replied

"Well then maybe its something they need to see because I do not like being linked to scandal" The head of the board said "So anyone with a shady pass will be brought to light because they will be suspect number one" he said before he headed out of Charlotte's office

"Looks like we have to divy up, I'll expect you two will give full cooperation?" Charlotte turned to ask

"I have nothing to hide" Marcus replied as both he and Charlotte turned to look at Amelia, who seemed to be shaken to the core. Walking up towards her, Charlotte grabbed hold to her hands and just caressed them, making sure to give her a look as if things were going to be fine

"Just tell the truth, you'll be fine" Charlotte whispered to her as Amelia just nodded in agreement before Charlotte walked out of the office leaving Marcus and Amelia behind

"What was that about?" Marcus asked seriously

"The board just is over reacting" Amelia shrugged trying to play it off as nothing but Marcus was nowhere near buying it

"Amelia, what did Charlotte just tell you?" Marcus asked

"She just told me to cooperate, you know me, rebel and all" Amelia replied

"Your lying" Marcus quickly replied nearly interrupting her as he looked on intensely at Amelia as if he were trying to read her like a book. Realizing that he wasn't buying it she finally realized that she couldn't hold it back anymore

"I'm…I have a past, a shady past" Amelia said nervously

"Everyone does, but it can't be that bad" Marcus told her as he moved in closer towards her

"I was an addict. I was addicted to pain pills" Amelia said as a moment of silence came between them

"Okay, well the key word was was" Marcus said "Your clean now and you're a great doctor, who is annoying at times, but your not a shady person or a suspect" he said as she quickly pulled away from him unable to hold her emotions in

"Back in college, I went through a phase, I was dealing with everything that was going on with my dad and I had pushed away from my family….I just needed to make it through. I hung out with the wrong crowd, I was close with a couple of people who had access to the pills I needed so I got mine for no charge but in exchange for soliciting" Amelia told him as the tears just seemed to fall down her face knowing that Marcus wouldn't take this well

"So…you sold" Marcus said trying to process what she was saying

"I was arrested and charged for it, at the time my brother was married to Addison…" Amelia said before Marcus began to piece it together

"So you pulled a couple of strings and had the charges dropped due to the Montgomery name" Marcus sighed

"I was only put on probation but its still on my record that I was charged for solicitation. So now you see why, I can't…I might lose my job" Amelia said

"I guess this was the past that you didn't want me to know about" Marcus said as he turned towards the door before Amelia grabbed a hold of his arm

"No, don't do that. Will you just talk to me?" Amelia asked him hoping that his vision of her hadn't changed with her revelation

"Maybe its better that I didn't know" Marcus replied before he pulled away from her embrace to leave

* * *

Feeling the sun shine in through the shades, Addison began to stir awake from her sleep to realize that she had been asleep on Sam's sofa in his office. Slowly sitting up to take in the events of the day, Addison began to feel sharp pains in her back before she eagerly went about trying to massage her back as much as she could. Reaching forward, she grabbed the glass of water and began to drink just as Sam entered the office to see that she was awake. Throwing his files on to his desk he then walked over to join her on the sofa, making sure to give her a kiss before he sat down. Pulling her towards him so that her back was leaning up against his sculpted chest, she grimaced a little by the sudden movement but was able to hide it well from him. For a moment they looked on at their intertwined hands just enjoying the feel of each others hands linked together.

"The board of the hospital is investigating all of staff, including doctors" Sam told her

"Because of Wyatt?" Addison asked

"Because of Wyatt" Sam nodded "So be prepared to be interrogated" he warned her

"Like today?" Addison asked

"Yeah, but the person interrogating won't be so nice" Sam teased

"And you are" Addison replied adding to the joke "I'm sorry about this morning. I was horrible to you and I hate that I acted that way" she said leaning her head back onto his shoulder

"You forget I'm use to you Montgomery, I'm so use to you that I could write a book about you" Sam smiled as they continued on with their play of hands

"Bizzy left me a house. Susan and her invested in a house along with property that his adjacent was given to Archer" Addison told him "And she also left me her diaries" she then sighed

"Bizzy kept a diary, she never striked me as a woman that kept a diary" Sam said surprised by the fact

"Yeah, well, she didn't strike me as a lesbian but that shocker was revealed. I told Preston that I didn't want any of the so called gifts she left behind, I don't know what Archer is going to do but I want nothing to do with it" Addison said

"Why?" Sam asked her

"Why would I take it. I mean she had this delusion that she could just move here with her wife and we could just play family all of sudden…after everything that she's done" Addison said "And those diaries are just another way of her to be so cold and distant from me but I words" she said

"Maybe that was her gift to you, maybe she wanted to try to work on your relationship towards the end. Maybe those diaries are her way of letting you in" Sam suggested

"Bizzy doesn't do relationships, I mean she made it abuduntantly clear who she loved most in this world and it wasn't her own children nor her husband she made vows to" Addison replied

"Look, I'm not going to justify Bizzy's actions because I know that the love you needed from her, she never gave, but my main concern is your healing process and how this will effect you in the future" Sam said

"What do you mean?" Addison turned to look at him

"I think deep down inside of you there is this fear that you think you weren't good enough or weren't special enough, and I think your afraid that you'll be like her with our child" Sam said

"No, I would kill myself before I put my child through what I had to endure from Bizzy" Addison replied

"But I'm here to tell you that your nothing like her. Addison, you're an amazing woman with an extraordinary gift and heart. I'm proud of the woman you are and the woman your trying to be, above all else I love you not for me but because of what you bring to life in general as a human being" Sam told her as he caressed the top of her head as Addison did all she could to hold back the tears

"Why are you telling me this?" Addison asked

"Because I think you need to hear it, I think you've needed to hear that from her from a long time. Your worth isn't judged by her, its by those who know you best and I happen to think I know you. Your worth to me is as valuable as the air I breath" Sam told her as he placed a kiss on the top of her head that seem to make his strength go into her "So here's what I think your going to do. I think your going to protest as much as you can about not wanting anything that your mother left you because your not ready to forgive her just yet, but in the end you'll do what is best" he told her

"And what is best?" Addison asked

"I don't know, only you know the answer to that" Sam replied as the once again just looked on at their hands that were linked together as she just rested in his embrace on the sofa of his office "Might I add, you have one hell of a punch" he teased as she couldn't help but laugh a little

"If you ever give up being a world class surgeon, you could be a boxer" Sam laughed "My girl can knock someone out. I'll think twice about arguing with you for now on" he smiled

"Surgeon to boxer, that sounds intriguing" Addison smiled for the first time in her day

* * *

Coming into the darkened house, Amelia quickly tossed her keys onto the kitchen counter and immediately made her way over to the fridge to grab a beer. Wasting no time in knocking it back, she popped the top and just began to drink as if drinking were the only thing at that moment to take her mind off the fact that everything was crazy in her life right now. A part of her wanted to stop by and talk to Addison but she knew that she was probably reeling from everything with the lawyer and her family in general since she hadn't ran into Addison yesterday at the office. If she lost her liscense…Derek would probably never let her hear the end of it, was all Amelia kept saying to herself as she just couldn't stop herself from wondering. Deep down she knew that she couldn't just walk away from her past so easily, but she at least thought that since things were okay with Derek now and she herself was good with herself, that she was she was making progress towards something. Earlier that day she had submitted all her information that was requested of her, and even admitted to the charges that were brought against her, now all she could do was go back and forth nervously before she heard her door bell ring. For a moment she thought to ignore whoever it was but her conscience got the best of her as she walked over to open the door surprised to see Marcus standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Amelia asked as Marcus looked on at the beer in her hand

"Your drinking?" Marcus asked

"Don't start, a girl is entitled to a beer" Amelia replied not wanting to hear his holier than thou attitude before he made his way inside "Uh, I didn't invite you in" she said closing the door

"It's taken care of" Marcus said turning to look at her

"What is taken care of?" Amelia asked

"Your records. I called in a few favors on the board, and made sure that your past wouldn't be brought up against you with the impending investigation" Marcus said as Amelia just laughed in disbelief

"You son of a bitch! Now that makes me even more suspicious if your calling in favors. Why would you do that?" Amelia asked him angrily

"Do you know how that would have looked if they read on your records that you were previously charged for soliciting medical drugs with an ongoing investigation of an insider doing so?" Marcus asked "We both know that it'd be the first of them hearing about since when you apply it only asks if you had a run in with the law in the previous five years" he pointed out

"So yay me! I missed the deadline, but me hiding that fact doesn't exactly prove my innocence" Amelia said

"Its not hidden, its just not being brought up against you" Marcus said

"Okay, your just confusing me here, as usual. I tell you yesterday about my past and you tell me that you wished I wouldn't have, and now…now you're here helping me disclose the very fact that you couldn't even look me in the eye about" Amelia said

"Because" Marcus replied

"Because what?" Amelia asked angrily

"Don't make this about me, this about you" Marcus yelled

"Yes, but we come back to the fact that it was my mistake and you felt the need to hide it" Amelia replied "I never asked you to help me. I confided in you and you just looked at me like I disgusted you, like I was the lowest piece of trash on this earth" she yelled at him "So this may be all about me, but the parts where you come in don't make you look so good like you portray yourself to believe" she said "I mean how stupid was I? how stupid was I to believe that you might actually be a friend to me or someone I could confide in" she went on to say

"You weren't stupid" Marcus replied softly as he began to pace the floor

"Yeah, I was. But its clear what things are between us, you say you want to change your playboy ways and settle down…well that'll never happen because no one will ever live up to your standards, the great Marcus King's standard of the perfect woman" Amelia yelled as Marcus just took it in "I feel for the girl who has to live to those high standards because there is no room for mistakes with you" she bullied him

"You want to know why I reacted the way I did?" Marcus asked her

"I really don't give a damn why you reacted the way you did because its done and over with, as are we or whatever the hell this is" Amelia said

"You scare the hell out of me!" Marcus yelled "Because I have met different ranges of women that just haven't done it for me, but the one person who I can't stand seems to be the person I gravitate to. You scare me because your so screwed up that I fear you're the female version of my brother…and I'm not going through that again, not with you. So if I came across as asshole it was because I was scared" he said before a moment of silence came between them

"Are you done?" Amelia asked

"Yeah, I am" Marcus replied before Amelia walked over towards the door and opened it for him to leave. Shaking his head knowing that he had truly messed up with her, Marcus let out a deep sigh before making his way over towards the door "I'll see you at work" he told her softly

"I don't know, I'm too screwed up to function apparently" Amelia replied a bit pissed at his earlier statement before Marcus just accepted that his presence was only making things worse for her. Making his way out of the house, Marcus looked back to see a look of hurt, pain, anger all rolled up into one before she finally just closed the door on him

* * *

She stood for a moment taking in the grand scenery that was once suppose to be a home of starting over, Addison could feel the breeze pass her by as she just stood there. Nothing Bizzy ever did was ordinary, so it was silly for her to think that this house would be so…once a woman of finer things, she'd forever remain. A part of her could see why Bizzy would go for a house like this because there was this feel of family if you dug really deep to see it. Leaning up against the car, it took all Sam to just stand back and watch her struggle with herself as he knew how hard this was for her. Earlier that day she had called Preston to open up the house for her to see, and since he figured she was making this big of a step, he knew that she might want to look at a few of the diaries that Bizzy had left behind. Taking a deep breath, Addison finally entered into the house and began to observe what her mother was anxiously awaiting to call home while Sam seemed to be scared out of his mind as to what effect this would have on her after she was through. Motioning to walk over towards the door of the house, Sam had to stop himself and just found himself pacing the floor before his cell phone began to ring.

"Bennet, you rang and I'm returning the call" Archer said once Sam answered the phone

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you about something" Sam said

"Shoot, I have some time before my next meeting" Archer replied

"I want to buy out your father. I know the house was willed to him since Addison first rejected it" Sam told him

"Sam, do you know how much needs to be paid on the house?" Archer asked "And does Addie know about this?" he then asked

"No, not yet, but she needs this" Sam told him

"She needs it? Addison has a house, and I hardly doubt she'd be in a rush to live where our mother intended to have her happily ever after" Archer replied

"A mother and daughter relationship is different from a mother and son" Sam said

"And Addie and I had neither, so why dredge up old memories of lack of worth?" Archer asked him

"Because you didn't see how they were before your mother died, they were making progress…and I just think if Addison is ever going to get past this then she needs to understand Bizzy" Sam said "It's crazy but I just have this feeling….I don't know, maybe it's the part of me that wants to have child with her, in which I feel she needs to close the chapter on this part with Bizzy…" he sighed before Archer cut him off

"So she knows in Bizzy's twisted way, that she did love her" Archer replied completely understanding where Sam was coming from "Your good for my sister, which is rare because Montgomery's are the most difficult to love" he laughed to himself

"Well she makes it easy" Sam replied

"I'll call my father and then talk to Preston, you'll be hearing from me soon" Archer told him as Sam just nodded.


	9. Between You and Me

Chapter Nine- Between You and Me

Los Angeles, land of the stars or at least close to the stars, he owned this city as he could see himself aligned with even the brightest of stars. Some stars shined bright to provide guidance on a tough road, while other shined for the pure purpose of shining but never did it provide much to others surrounding. On a Saturday evening, the stars gathered for the annual ESPY sports awards that honored the biggest and the brightest in sports, and since many of his clients were that of the biggest names in the industry it was almost like good luck for Marcus to be there. The event had been well televised so there was no escaping the flash bulbs that would probably link him to the unknown actress he had arrived with seeing as he barely met her hours ago, but she had been dying to meet him due to research she had to do for an upcoming movie role and since Marcus was the doctor feel good in Los Angeles and beyond…he was the hot commodity, so it didn't really matter if he knew her name because no one else would at the end of the day anyways. Playing mostly with his cell phone through out the night, he tried to work up the nerve to call Amelia to apologize or just to even talk to her. It still weighed heavily on him their last encounter and the more he thought about, the more he wished that he could have said something different, something that would help her realize that his opinions of her were at the highest of regards. The whole week she had managed to avoid any chances of running into him at the hospital and the practice, he'd ask in a round about type of way of where she was but he'd always here the usual she must have a lot on her schedule today like he was the deadbeat boyfriend they wanted her to stay away it were up to him, he'd trade in the suit and tie just to go home and relax…maybe even give it another crack at apologizing to Amelia. Becoming a bit stiff in his seat, Marcus had made his way backstage to grab a bottle water from the press room. On his journey backstage he walked down the hall that they would sneak the last minute celebrities in through, but as he walked past one of the guest dressing rooms he quickly saw a woman coming out screaming with blood all over her. Immediately racing over towards her as well as security, he could immediately see the gruesome sight but didn't have much time to access as he had to be in the mode of saving this life as the security hovered around. It had taken an approximate hour to rush the victim back to the hospital before he was able to get him stabilized but yet still he wasn't out of the woods just yet. Coming out the patients room, he could see the woman sitting off in the waiting room with what appeared to be friends and family before Sam entered the hospital and made his way over towards him.

"Saw you on television, looked sharp in the suit" Sam told him "What do you have?" Sam asked

"Thanks for coming so late" Marcus thanked Sam before proceeding "Gino Fernandez" Marcus replied laying his file down

"Wait, the Gino Fernandez, as in the baseball player?" Sam asked as he looked at him

"Yes, the Gino Fernandez" Marcus sighed "He's got multiple gunshots to the spine. His pressure is over the limit, my guess is from the alcohol intake" he told him

"And the girlfriend?" Sam asked "Did she sustain any injuries?" he asked just as a elderly woman walked over towards them to tap Marcus on the shoulder.

"Your that famous doctor right?" The woman asked in between tears

"Yes, I guess. I'm Dr. Marcus King" Marcus replied "Are you the girlfriends mother?" he asked

"I'm the mother to Gino. Gino Fernandez is my son" Ms. Fernandez said

"I'm sorry for what has happened, but I assure you that I will do everything in my power to help your son" Marcus replied

"No, I don't want you to" Ms. Fernandez quickly replied as if she were pleading with him while both Sam and Marcus looked at her strangely

"Wait, why don't you want me to save your son?" Marcus asked in disbelief

"Because he did it. Gino did it, she was trying to protect herself from him" Ms. Fernandez said as Marcus looked over at the distraught girlfriend who seemed to be crying away the night

"Ma'am I have to do what is best for your…." Marcus said before she cut him off

"He would have killed them. If Gino would have gotten ahold of her he would have killed them. I know this makes me horrible person and a mother at that, but I've got to think about them. This fast pace life has taken Gino, that man in there is not my son…my son would never do what he has done" Ms. Fernandez told him before the nurse quickly rushed over towards them

"The patient is coding" The nurse said before Marcus ran behind her into the room to see that Gino was having a seizure. Doing all that he could to stabilize him, Marcus was able to do enough to get him stable but knew that he had to make the judgement call that would go against his mothers wish

"All right, lets get an O.R. ready, we need to get him into surgery" Marcus called out as his team immediately began to rush the body out and down to O.R., looking on he could see Ms. Fernandez standing in fear as he stepped out she immediately met him but he couldn't stop, he had to keep walking down the hallway as she just followed behind

"He'll just kill them. I'm trying to protect my family" Ms. Fernandez called out to him as Marcus just kept walking towards those double doors

"And I've got to do my job as his doctor" Marcus said before he turned around to back into the double doors making it a point to look down so that he didn't have to look the woman in the eyes

* * *

Hunching over the side of the bed, Addison did all she could to gain composure as the pains seemed to intensify in her back, which made her more dizzy than usual. A part of her was glad that Sam had to rush in for an emergency surgery because she knew that he would have been worried to see her like this, but for the most part she had done pretty well in keeping this from him. She usually wasn't one to gripe whenever she was sick because she always managed to bounce back, and she knew not to jump to the conclusion of pregnancy because her luck wasn't that good to even go there yet. There had been a couple of times in which Sam had brought up the fact that they needed to make another appointment to see Naomi, but luckily Naomi was in and out of town that most her patients were newcomers and those that had finally been able to get pregnant. On occasion Naomi would have consults with her in her office but Addison answered as level headed as possible, and in that case it was a usual pessimistic point of view. Finally able to move a bit as the strain her back had let up, Addison laid back on the bed before she heard Amelia make her way up the staircase. Doing her best to freshen herself up, Addison was unable to move quick enough as Amelia looked in to see her friend looking ill as ever.

"Wow, you look like crap" Amelia replied as she walked over to sit beside Addison on the bed

"Thank you, I'll be sure to improve my looks in the wee hours of the morning" Addison replied "What are you doing up so early?" she asked

"I just came in. I had a eight hour surgery, then I had an enormous amount of paperwork to get through" Amelia sighed "Where is Sam?" she asked

"Marcus called him in for help on a patient" Addison told her

"Oh, wow. He's human, calling for help" Amelia laughed to herself "I saw the jackass all over the award show coverage and the damn previews for the news. Why is it the news is turning into a new form of TMZ? It's like eighteen people shot dead then latest on Lindsay Lohan" she said making Addison laugh

"That's our world today" Addison sighed as she began to massage her back not realizing that Amelia was watching her

"You seemed to have been favoring your back a lot lately?" Amelia asked her as she noticed the gesture

"Yeah, I pulled it while trying to get a shoe box on top" Addison lied

"A shoe box wouldn't cause a back strain like that" Amelia laughed "Addie, this is me your talking to" she pointed out

"I know, I know. The girl that caught me cheating on Derek with his best friend, we've established that you can keep a secret when it comes to cheating" Addison replied

"Well, I hope I never have to when it comes to Sam because I kind of like living next door in his abode…but then again if you two broke up because of cheating, I don't think he'd want to live next to you" Amelia thought loudly

"Would you stop making my life a tragedy" Addison snapped at her

"Sorry, sorry. My life is a tragedy currently so I just made it like the plague and attacked everyone else's" Amelia said "But point being is that I think something is up with you" she said

"Like what?" Addison asked desperately wanting to hear her conclusion

"Well, your back pains. Your mood swings" Amelia said before Addison cut her off

"When did I have a mood swing?" Addison asked

"Sam told me about how you bitched him out over the shoes. That was actually quite funny when he told me, I mean really Addie? Shoe compartments?" Amelia asked

"This from the girl, who lives by herself" Addison said "I like the house to be clean, especially the bedroom" she said

"Your not one to be spotless type of clean though. Then there is the onions on your chili dog when we went to lunch" Amelia said

"What is wrong with that?" Addison asked her in disbelief that that constituted in strange

"Because you hate onions, and you wouldn't eat onions on a lunch break because you have patients afterwards" Amelia said "Face it, I think we should do a pregnancy test" she suggested as Addison just looked at her

* * *

Coming out of the surgery, Marcus almost seemed saddened that he had to deliver such happy news to people who didn't want to hear it. For the most part it seemed that Gino only had one person who cared to hear if he was okay, but not enough to make Marcus glad that he helped save a life that most wanted dead. When it came to athletes there was always a contradiction, you wanted them to live on forever because you loved them but when you got to know the real them, when they shed the superman cape and showed they were far from the image…then that's when they become crucified. Delivering the news of Gino's progress, Marcus could see the immediate rush of tears come to his mothers face and for the first time he knew it wasn't tears of joy. Turning slowly to head back towards the consult room, Marcus could see the flashbulbs going off as the media had caught on to the fact that Gino Fernandez had been brought here for an emergency surgery. Wanting no part in the circus freak show, he entered the consult room to see Sam looking on at scans.

"You did good in there" Sam praised Marcus before Marcus grabbed a seat next to him

"I hate my job at times. I mean I truly hate the whole celebrity aspect of it all" Marcus replied

"But your Dr. Feel Good" Sam teased

"You know what I mean" Marcus replied

"Yeah, I do. The position you were put in was tough, but you did what was right for the patient" Sam said

"The patient that is loved by all of Los Angeles, but hated by his own mother" Marcus sighed "He beats his girlfriend, who happens to be carrying his child. He attempts to beat her again last night but the girlfriend grabbed a gun he brought to the awards show and shoots him multiple times out of self defense, but since he could possibly lead our baseball team to another championship team we look over the fact that he's in the wrong and focus on the fact that his girlfriend is the criminal in this situation" he told Sam as if he were in trance like state "I know this story so well that its becoming sickening" he turned to tell Sam

"We've all got the judgement calls, but we're surgeons…we save lives or at least attempt to" Sam said as he got up from his chair

"To bad we can't save souls" Marcus replied "What are you going to do for the rest of the weekend?" he asked

"I have a hot girlfriend waiting for me at home, I plan to be at home with her" Sam laughed as he took down his scans

"Wish I could say the same" Marcus replied "But your right, your girlfriend is hot. Thanks again for coming" he said

"It's not a problem" Sam replied "And, keep trying" he then said

"With what?" Marcus asked

"Amelia. Keep trying" Sam said before he left the room leaving Marcus behind to pander the thought of what he should do. Massaging his head in frustration, Marcus was soon torn away from his thoughts when Charlotte came into the room.

"I hate to do this to you, but the masses want an update on Mr. Fernandez and I would like to clear out the press so it won't scare the patients" Charlotte told him

"Sure. I'll be out in a minute" Marcus said giving a slight smile just so he could prove to himself that a smile was possible but in all reality he knew it wasn't. No part of what he felt made him want to smile.

* * *

Heading inside the house, Sam felt a little relieved that today was Sunday because a piece of him thought it was a week day. All he wanted to do was take a nice hot shower and get back in the bed so he could enjoy somewhat of his day. Entering the bedroom he saw Addison sitting up reading one of Bizzy's journal completely lost in the words of her mother, for the past couple of days she had been acting a bit weird with the stress of all things Montgomery and the mood swings from the many thoughts of Bizzy that she read about. He had began to second guess the fact that he pushed her to read her mothers journal just because he was afraid of what it was doing to her, but he knew that she needed to do this in order to put this completely behind her. Relieving himself of his shirt, he immediately prepared himself for a shower as Addison occasionally looked over at him. Leaning over, Sam gave her a quick kiss before he hopped into the shower. For a moment Addison just went back and forth on whether she should continue reading or if she should go in the restroom to talk to Sam. Knowing that time was working against her, she slowly got out of the bed and made her way into the restroom.

"Sam, I need to talk to you" Addison said as Sam continued to lather himself up

"Sure" Sam replied "Can you hand me that soap? I grabbed the wrong one" he asked her as Addison grabbed the soap he had requested for and handed it to him

"First off, how did the surgery go?" Addison said hoping that they'd get so caught up in talking surgeries that she'd forget all together

"It went okay. Marcus got a doozy of a surgery. Gino Fernandez, the short stop for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Well the mother didn't want him to save him, she wanted him to die, so of course Marcus had to use his judgement" Sam told her

"He did do the surgery, right?" Addison asked

"Yes, but his family wasn't happy" Sam said "Turns out the girlfriend shot him out of self defense in order to protect her unborn child, so the mother wanted to protect the girlfriend and the baby…it was just a messed up situation all around" he said

"Yeah, the things you do for a baby" Addison replied sadly as she took a moment to think while Sam continued on with his shower "Sam, I'm pregnant" she then blurted out before Sam tried to turn to look at her but her forgot that the soap was in his hands as he reached for the sliding glass dorr, which caused him to slip "Are you okay?" she asked rushing to his side to see him grimacing in pain

"Aw!" Sam said rolling around for a bit waiting for the stinging pain in his hip to go down

"I take that as a no" Addison concluded as she tended to him

* * *

Over come with happiness for her friends, Amelia couldn't believe that her gut feeling was right when it came to Addison. Addison was pregnant or at least that's what the stick told them. Deep down Amelia was truly happy for her friends because she knew how much they loved each other, and in some ways she thought that's how much her parents loved each other…if her father was alive she thought she was sure that the way Sam loved Addison was the way her father loved her mother. Love in general was something she never saw much of because she always seemed to be running from something and the proclaimed versions of love always had a secret to them that said otherwise. But Addison and Sam, that was real to her, that was the things she wanted if she ever found love…that love where the person just knows you and accepts all the good and bad in you, that love where they were strong enough to take you on even when you do your best to push them away, that kind of love where you keep pinching yourself to see if its real when in all actuality its beyond real, that's the kind of love she wanted and she'd search forever to find it but until then she settled for it to live next door to her. Grabbing the remote, Amelia turned on the television and quickly noticed the coverage on Gino Fernandez.

"It has been reported that Gino Fernandez is now stable, but the question of whether he has retained movement is in question still. His doctor Marcus King, earlier addressed the media and we'll show a bit of his clip as he addresses questions on the matter" The news reporter said just as they cut to footage of Marcus in a dress shirt and tie at his press conference.

"Oh, how you live for this type of attention" Amelia said to herself as she took a seat on the sofa to watch while turning the television up

"Mr. Fernandez has sustained Central Cord syndrome, which momentarily has suspended motor functions. Whether he will be able to play or not has been placed on highly unlikely at the moment but we have doctors that will work extensively with him on his track to recovery" Marcus answered as political as possible

"What is the projected time in which he will return to regular activities?" The reporter asked as she noticed a tiring look wash over Marcus's face

"My main concern over the hours have been to stabilize Mr. Fernandez and nothing else. Now if you wanted to talk projected time lines of being able to play again then that is something that his staff will have to disclose but as his doctor I want to stick to the subject matter" Marcus replied looking off into the crowd to see yet a sea of hands

"Has their been any word as to how he sustained the injuries or by whom?" A reporter asked

"He sustained multiple gun shots to the spine and I don't want to speculate as to who the person was" Marcus replied

"Weren't you the first doctor on the scene? Are you his primary doctor?" Another reporter asked

"Yes, I was the first doctor on the scene. I'm not his primary, but I have over the years handled his recovery chart plans from the injuries he has had" Marcus said "That will be all for tonight, and I assure you once again that things do look hopeful for Mr. Fernandez in a recovery but as far as the possible effects he may sustain will have to be answered in time. Thank you, and drive safely" he said before he stepped away from the podium. For a moment, Amelia sat looking on at the overall coverage that the shooting had received but then a quick thought ran over how Marcus was handling this. She knew that this was something he was used to but over the times that they had talked she quickly learned that he didn't like the celebrity aspect of things that people tried to impose on him now. Getting up from her seat she grabbed her cell phone and then her car keys before she opened the door to leave only to be caught off guard by the appearance of Marcus pulling up in her driveway. Standing in shock by this sudden appearance, Amelia looked on at him as he got out the car and tiredly walked over towards her.

"I know you probably hate me, and you have good reason for how I acted last time we spoke" Marcus said as he played with his keys trying to avoid eye contact with her hoping that she would hear him out "But…this is the only place I could think of coming to. I know its weird but you're the only person right now that won't asking me about anything Gino" he said

"Because you know I hate baseball" Amelia said unable to contain her laughter which surprised him as he looked up to see her smiling and in returned forced him to smile

"You do hate baseball" Marcus smiled

"C'mon, I want to take you somewhere" Amelia said as she dragged him behind her over to his car "Don't worry, we'll avoid the media" she said as he just shook his head with a bit of laughter before he pulled his keys out and opened up car as they both got in

"Where to?" Marcus asked as he closed the door

"I don't know. Just drive, maybe we'll get inspired to stop" Amelia said

* * *

Never did she plan for Sam to injure himself when she had revealed the news to him, but then again nothing ever turned out as planned with her she thought to herself. Sitting on the kitchen floor both Addison and Sam nursed their aching bodies with ice packs, for her it was her back while he suffered a bruised hip from slipping. They hadn't said much about the news as they both just took it in and processed that they were well on their way to parenthood. Sam was partially scared by the fact that maybe she concealed this news for so long because she had regretted it with all things Bizzy going on in her life, he racked his head thinking of what he would do if she had discovered that now wasn't a great time to have children…although each outcome devastated him, but the alternative of life without her hurt him even more. Addison was unsure all together because a part of her felt like this wasn't real, like she couldn't be happy because something was going to wrong because with her something always went wrong so there was no need to be happy when she would soon be sad.

"What are you thinking?" Sam asked as he turned to look at her blank face

"I'm thinking we're both injured" Addison replied "Then I'm thinking about how I'm going to handle it" she said

"Handle what?" Sam asked

"Handle the news of this all being a lie. Me, not being pregnant" Addison said unable to hide the tears that were coming "I know I should be happy and excited because we've been trying for this for some time but a piece of me feels like crying because its not real….not for me, it never is" she cried

"Why?" Sam asked as he began to caress her face

"This is too good to be true. I know it is and I don't want to disappoint you" Addison cried

"Disappoint me, I don't think that's possible" Sam replied "No, I won't let you think that" he said as tears began to form in his eyes "So just stop" he said

"Oh, Sam" Addison groaned "Will you stop painting a rose color on everything? I'm not the woman who believes in all things fairytales or the happy ending because…" she said before Sam pulled her face closer to him

"Stop. Stop. Stop" Sam told her forcefully "I know what this is, so don't sell me this crap about you not being that woman because that's a load of crap" he said as Addison tried to pull away but he would let her

"Let me go" Addison cried

"You should know by now that's not something I would do" Sam replied "What's it going to take for you to believe this?" he asked

"I don't need anything to prove it because I know it. I know my body and I don't feel pregnant, I don't feel the way a new mother is supposed to feel…maybe it's the Bizzy in me shining through" Addison said

"Okay, I like your mother, I really did, but in this house the name Bizzy is becoming a curse word that we won't use because I'm sick of her being your excuse. You are your own woman, not a duplicate of your mother…you choose what type of mother you will be, its not a genetic thing" Sam told her as he wiped away the tears on her face just looking on at the broken hearted woman wondering how news that was suppose to be a happy thing for them felt like a tragedy to her "C'mon, we're going to go to the practice" he told her as he slowly got up from the floor trying not to show he was in pain

"Sam, your hurt" Addison said

"I don't care. Let's go" Sam said as he limped over to grab his keys "I'll meet you at the car" he said as he limped out the house while Sam just looked on at him limping around before she slowly rose to her feet

* * *

She had ran the possibility of taking an impromptu trip to Las Vegas, but she knew Marcus wasn't ready for that type spontaneous behavior. Many people had compared them to each other, but she could see the differences in them and a part of her liked that they were so much alike but still so much different if that even made sense. Eventually they ended up pulling over at gas station to grab some snacks because she was starving before they finally made their way to the destination. As they soon as they pulled up he immediately began to see why she wanted to bring him out to this spot as the scenery of the city took his breath away. He had always seen places like this on the television but he hadn't quite found a place like this one, a place where he truly felt he escaped all things Los Angeles. Getting out the car she began to embrace the warmth in the night air as she just spun around taking it all in before she stopped to look out at the beaming lights.

"What is this place?" Marcus asked as he walked up beside her

"This is my escape" Amelia smiled at him "I lived in Seattle for a little bit then came to California occasionally but that was when I lead the unknown path" she told him

"Unknown? Aw, the period when you just wanted to be a loner…that's my guess" Marcus said trying to fill in what she meant

"Your good" Amelia smiled "Yeah, I was at this point where I wanted to find myself and I just came up here when I need to feel like I controlled something in my life" she said

"I don't get the last part. How do you control this?" Marcus asked

"Because when I'm down there, I'm lost in the city…lost in all the distractions it throws at me whether good or bad. When I'm here I begin to realize that its just a city that I have personified as some big bad monster…they're all just cities being personified to be something more than what they are. The city doesn't take you over, you take it over. I know it sounds abstract but it really helped me see that I was better and I was healing" Amelia said

"No, it makes perfect sense" Marcus told her

"So what's got you feeling like you could runaway and never look back?" Amelia asked

"The city, I guess. The fact that I'm saving athletes that are God like creatures in this city, when in reality they're the purest form of all things wrong in this world" Marcus told her "I know as a surgeon we're suppose to save lives and not judge, but its hard when so many people look to you to bring back their heroes and icons" he said

"What makes them different from anyone else who sits out in the waiting room looking for a miracle? Everyone who comes to us is a hero or icon to someone else…that's just how it is. Just because one part of this city can skillfully able to play a sport doesn't make them that much different" Amelia said "You just need to stop taking it so seriously" she concluded as he just laughed

"Okay, I'm a doctor. I know it may not seem like that when I'm on news coveragea and at award shows but I'm still a doctor" Marcus said

"Yes, you're a doctor. So then just be that, be a doctor" Amelia told him "You want to separate from the celebrity aspect then do it, be a doctor" she said "Your losing your passion for what you originally signed up to be" she then added

"What if Marcus King the doctor isn't as good as he thinks. I mean I'm Dr. Feel Good, people expect me to make the impossible possible" Marcus said

"People think that, and that forces you to think that. Nothing about what you've said has lead me to believe that you truly love being a doctor, and that's what you miss" Amelia said "So just get back to that, consider yourself on rehab to becoming the boy who wanted to find the cure for cancer or for diabetes" she said

"Is everything that simple in your train of thought?" Marcus asked her as he moved in closer to her

"It's the view. It has this effect on me, where everything is simple in a land of complication" Amelia laughed

"Okay, so I will simplify my life….starting now" Marcus said as he extended his hand to her

"What are you doing?" Amelia asked

"I'm asking you to dance. Ever since I've met you I have always wondered what it would be like to dance with you" Marcus said

"Even when we fight and bicker?" Amelia asked

"Even when" Marcus replied "I know its corny, but oblige me" he said as she took his hand

"We don't even have music" Amelia replied as he pulled her close to him

"I think I can find a simple device to take care of that" Marcus said as he pulled out his iphone to turn on his ipod feature on the phone as Amelia just laughed

"This is the corniest thing I've ever done" Amelia laughed as they swayed to the music

"I know" Marcus laughed "Don't tell anyone about this or else I'll deny it" he joked

"This will stay between you and I, no one else" Amelia said as she rested her head on his shoulder

"I think I'm like the idea of you and me. May we have many more secrets to come" Marcus whispered as he just enjoyed holding her thinking about how perfect she seemed to fit in his arms. In one day his world had seemed to feel like it was one big crazy mess, but with her in this moment it just felt like the best part of his week.

* * *

Ever since arriving at the practice, Sam had seemed like a man on a mission as he limped around the office to turn on all the lights and prepared the birthing suite for them. She knew her attitude towards it had brought his mood down but she didn't want to lie to him, she didn't want to pretend…not with him at least. Once he had finally finished getting everything up and going, he came back out to the lobby where Addison sat to lead her into the birthing suite that she had used so regularly but was always the one in the stool looking up at the expected mother. Helping her up on the table as he suffered through the sharp pains of his own injury, all that was of concern to Sam was to give all his attention to Addison. Looking on at the monitor, he grabbed the gel and shook it up while Addison lifted up her shirt for him to put it on her. For a moment he searched around trying to find the babies heartbeat as he himself began to slowly lose hope while Addison's tears began to sting her like knives being inserted in her at every angle. Giving up hope to realize that maybe she was right, though she had a taken a pregnancy test…she knew her body well enough to know that she wasn't pregnant that was until he finally landed on a heartbeat. They both froze for a moment, while Addison slowly sat up to see if this was real. Was this a joke or was this the real thing.

"Is that?" Addison asked as she turned to look at him

"Yeah" Sam replied trying to hide his face for the tears made him feel like he was acting pathtic

"That's a baby. I have a baby in me" Addison said in disbelief as the tears just fell from her eyes uncontrollably "That's our baby" she cried

"Yeah" Sam replied once again as he hunched over unable to control his tears but once again didn't want Addison to see, but she could tell by the way he was acting that maybe he was hurt by her denial of this life early on in the evening

"I'm sorry. Sam, I'm sorry" Addison cried as she turned him towards her before he slowly rose to kiss her on the forehead

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just…I really wanted this. I know that I didn't embrace this at first but I really wanted this with you" Sam cried "I can't promise that I'll be perfect, but I will do my best to strive to be because even though this baby isn't here…I love him or her with all my heart all ready. I love you and I love our baby, I promise I will do right by you" he sobbed as she kept wiping away the tears coming down his face as they both turned into complete messes

"Look at us, we're a mess" Addison laughed as he leaned forward to hug her and never let go "I love you so much" she whispered to him

"I love you" Sam said through muffled tears

"Why are you crying so much?" Addison asked as she couldn't help but laugh

"Because I'm happy for us and because I'm in so much pain...my hip is killing me" Sam said as Addison just busted into laughter before she leaned in to kiss him "I'm so old" he said in between kisses

"I know grandpa" Addison laughed as he just kissed her again not wanting to let her get started on teasing him


	10. Duplicate Pasts

Chapter Ten- Duplicate Pasts

Beginning to wince from the pain of the stiff seats they lay on, Amelia's eyes began to flutter open to see the shining ever so brightly in the morning sky. Feeling the warmth of his body behind her she couldn't help but give a slight smile at the thought of what they did last night. Not wanting to move too much in fear of waking him up, she looked back to see that he was still fast asleep, which she found hard to believe because the stiffness of the back seat was beginning to way on her. Hours ago she was determined to hate him and keep their so called professional relationship as just a hi and bye type of thing but as she turned to look at him, she couldn't help but like what she was seeing. He was different or at least he was trying to be, but he was so complicated in the best ways…she had met her match, never did she think that would happen. Getting lost in all things him like a silly school girl she just laughed to herself at how ridiculous she was being in this moment not knowing that he was beginning to wake up.

"Aw, my back" Marcus grimaced in pain as he reached for his back

"Yeah, when I was younger the backseat was always my thing. Maybe this is a sign of me getting older, screw the wise crap" Amelia joked as Marcus just laughed

"I was never the back seater kind of guy. I preferred the bed, you know, motels or hotels" Marcus laughed "But I do think that this is my first time being in a back seat where the clothes remained on" he smiled

"I know" Amelia laughed "Clothes and a backseat always equaled me naked" she smiled

"We've been around the block a few times, haven't we?" Marcus asked as he couldn't hold back his smile

"Hey, I've been offering it to you but you just don't seem to take it" Amelia said

"Maybe one day I will" Marcus smiled as he slowly sat up to look at the time

"When will that some day be? Not that I'm comfortable with this, but we're both very sexual people and something's gotta give" Amelia said as she leaned in closer towards him

"Oh, I have self control. If you haven't picked that up by now" Marcus smiled as he pulled her closer towards him "You should consider yourself lucky" he whispered

"Why?" Amelia asked wondering if this was going to be the segway to the sex that she desperately wanted from him

"Because I'm more than just sex" Marcus told her as he tucked a strand of hair away from her face

"Okay, I'll pretend to know what you mean by that" Amelia laughed "This whole sex deprivation can't be because you want to settle down and be better. You can have sex and strive to be better" she told him

"Deprivation? How about we have first date before we even think about the bedroom?" Marcus just blurted out without even really knowing what he was saying

"Are you asking me out?" Amelia asked him as she was fully intending to tease him about his request

"No….I mean yes. I don't know" Marcus fumbled for words as she just smiled at him

"So which is it? Because if your asking then I might have an answer for you" Amelia said

"Really?" Marcus asked her

"Yes, but you have to ask first. I mean you've all ready impressed me with your ipod play list, your stiff car seats, and now a possible proposal for a date…this is a girls best day" Amelia laughed

"But what does the girl say?" Marcus asked a little excited to hear what she might say as Amelia pulled his face towards her

"The girl says….we've got to go to work" Amelia told him before she pushed him back and rubbed around his pockets to pull his keys out "C'mon" she said before she hopped out of the back seat and got in on the passenger side while Marcus just shook his head

"Girls like you are trouble" Marcus laughed as he began to button up his dress shirt from the night before

"Girls like me will learn how to do it for themselves until the guys realize we don't have forever" Amelia teased "Will you please just get your ass up here so we can go now?" she laughed as he eventually made his way up to the drivers side to start the car

* * *

He couldn't control the laughter as he walked down the hallways of their latest round of finding the perfect obstetrician as Addison came to call it. Flipping through her charts, Addison had no time to waste on getting caught up on her medical records as well as he patients medical records because as soon as they would make it back to the practice she had to go straight into a check up. Sam couldn't help but feel like their search was going to be a constant merry go round and she had every right to hear everyone so that she could find someone that she was comfortable with. Every chance he got, he couldn't help but stare at her and her stomach that would soon be expanding with his child inside of her. Moments when he truly questioned if he was ready to be a father again would slip into his mind but every moment seemed to follow with the moments where it was images of Addie smiling at him or her trying to learn something new from him, and in those moments he knew that he wanted to have a million of them and with their child included in the picture.

"Sam, are you listening to me?" Addison asked him as she poked him in the side while he just turned slightly to look at her

"Sorry, I was just thinking. I was thinking of how we're going to deliver the baby" Sam laughed

"What do you mean?" Addison asked

"Because at this rate, you and I are going to be the doctors who bring my son into this world" Sam teased

"I'm not settling on any doctor for our daughter" Addison replied adding her gender preference into the mix as she went back to looking through her charts "The guy didn't even have a plan if there is a said complication, I mean every ob should have a plan" she complained

"You mean like the great Addison Montgomery" Sam laughed as Addison hit him on his side

"He should have a plan Sam, I mean there has always got to be a plan for something as a delicate as a baby" Addison proclaimed

"And I'm sure he does if it ever got to that point, but we just have simple check ups to make sure the baby is growing and is healthy…not ready for any type of surgical procedure" Sam replied

"That's not good enough, I need a man with a plan" Addison said as Sam just laughed at the last statement

"Man with a plan" Sam teased as she couldn't help but laugh at how it sounded as well

"You know what I mean" Addison smiled

"I know, I know what you mean" Sam said as he held her hand "But do you think your being overly cautious due to the fact that your scared?" he asked her

"Scared? I'm the epitome of a scared first time mother, but no, I'm not being overly cautious. I'm being….a medical professional in search of another medical professional to handle a region that is sacred to me" Addison said

"If you need that region to be taken care of then I'm the man with the plan, but you just need someone to make sure our little boy is growing at a healthy rate, who has been referred to us" Sam said

"Maybe the reason why I'm coming across as overly…whatever you just said…is because it hasn't been clear what I'm looking for?" Addison said as she quickly got an idea in her head as Sam looked over at her

"I don't like that look. That look is dangerous" Sam laughed

"Sam, I've got to narrow down the search and look for the thing I have been searching for as opposed to just looking at anything and everything" Addison said

"And what is it? That's the part I'm confused about" Sam said

"Me" Addison replied "I need to find me. I need to find the duplicate Addison" she smiled happily as Sam just shook his head in disbelief

"Oh, you've so missed the point" Sam laughed to himself

"I mean its going to be hard to find another me, but I should be looking for someone that most resembles me" Addison smiled proudly "I have solved all our problems" she declared as she looked down at her stomach admirely "And you little girl, will only get the best…even in the womb" she told the baby

"I have one question?" Sam asked

"Yes daddy" Addison replied

"Do I get a say in who your obgyn is?" Sam asked "I mean this person will be looking down in your region, and I think we both should be comfortable with this person" he said

"Aw, that's so sweet. Your jealous" Addison smiled

"We're missing the point, and we will discuss this tonight" Sam said as they pulled into the parking structure of the practice and into their usual parking spot

"Your daughter and I are looking forward to it" Addison said as she undid her seatbelt and leaned over to give him a quick kiss before getting out of the car

* * *

Looking over her next patients chart, Amelia began to fill her day wane on her even moreso than it all ready had after the night she had sleeping on the back seat of Marcus's car. Her thoughts on occasion had drifted off onto her night with him, never had she done something so corny and found it something that stayed with her throughout the morning. She wanted to get rid of him so that she could at least focus on her next patient as opposed to the possible first date that she hoped to have with Marcus. He was everything she hated in a guy, hell he was kind of like a mini Derek in some ways, but he had a mixture of her in there…she questioned whether she had some sort of fascination with herself that she could be interested in a guy that had the best of Derek and the worst of her…nothing about it mad sense. Sam and Addison thought highly of him but were still very much cautious to him which only made it worse when it came to what she should do, but then again she never listened to what she should do. She didn't know much of the details about him but the things that were public knowledge in the media. Forcing herself to focus on her work and not her personal life, she began to look through her computer files at possible solutions for what her patient might have. Looking up she noticed that Addison had made her way into the office, and was now sitting in her office trying to do the same thing she was doing. Picking up the phone unable to take the rampant thoughts, Amelia had to call the only person who could help her deal.

"Hello Amelia, I don't have long to talk I have a patient in ten minutes" Addison answered the phone

"I need to know if I'm crazy. I mean do you think I'm crazy because I happen to take your word on everything that comes to my life, so please tell me if I'm crazy or not?" Amelia said

"Okay, what and how did we jump to the conclusion of you being crazy? Give bullet points though" Addison said

"Yesterday. Marcus. Dancing. Back seat. First date" Amelia said knowing that was all Addison needed to process it

"Pissed. Hated. Really?. Hook up. With who?" Addison replied

"Was. Can't stop thinking about. Only sleep. Marcus" Amelia said

"Really? You slept in the back seat of a car….with your clothes on? Were you two drunk?" Addison asked

"No. It was…it was all so romantic in some sense. I hate that I even used that word" Amelia replied as she began to feel a rush of embarrassment

"Oh, so you two danced. That is romantic, how did you let that happen?" Addison laughed to herself

"He has this way of making you believe that romance can exist, its all very James Dean like" Amelia described

"I know that feeling, Sam does it all the time. The feeling where you know what he's suggesting is so stupid and corny but he makes you want to be corny, which leads to…" Addison said before Amelia cut her off

"Please don't talk about that because I haven't done that in a while" Amelia said "Maybe that's why I'm thinking about him? Its because I haven't done it in a while" she then suggested

"No, you just want to do him…your having preferences now" Addison smiled as she got a page from the receptionist that let her know her patient was here "I have to go" she said just as Amelia received a page as well on her end

"So do I" Amelia replied

"But we'll finish the talk, I'm a bit intrigued. Oh, and I have to get your input on searching for me" Addison said as Amelia became confused on that last part

"Okay" Amelia said with confusion before Addison hung up and her patient appeared at her doorway "Come in" she said as her patient came in to take a seat "So you are Nikki. I'm " she introduced herself before she took a seat in her chair

"So I hear you're the best, have you figured me out yet?" Nikki asked

"I believe I have. I've looked over at your charts since that is what I do. You have what is called subarachnoid hemorrhage. It explains the headaches, vomiting, and the stiff neck. We'll do a close observation and run some tests but we can hope that surgery won't be necessary" Amelia said

"No surgery, that sounds…good" Nikki replied not sounding all to thrilled

"You seem a little upset with the news, were you expecting surgery?" Amelia asked

"No. I knew that surgery wouldn't be necessary, I just can't believe you've actually named it" Nikki replied "He's actually got himself a smart one" she laughed as she then pulled out a cigarette

"I don't think you should be smoking" Amelia told her

"Why will it effect me?" Nikki asked

"Most likely, but I just don't want smoke in my office. What's the deal? Why are you really here?" Amelia asked

"I'm here to see the girl" Nikki replied

"And I'm the girl for what?" Amelia asked

"Marcus's latest screw. I mean I heard rumors that he was seeing a steady one, but I had to see this for myself" Nikki said

"Okay, and this point you've entered a region where its none of your business. So now that you've looked around, you can go now" Amelia said as she leaned forward to look the girl in the eye

"He's got you thinking about him. Your trying to sit here and do your little doctoring shit and you just can't do it. He probably did something incredibly stupid and romantic that you can't possibly believe you fell for it" Nikki described as she continued to puff on her cigarette "Marcus has that effect on girls, it never gets old because he just keeps on perfecting it" she then said

"You sound like a stalker? Like your about to write the book on him" Amelia laughed to herself as she wanted to show that this woman didn't scare her one bit

"I probably could. I'm his biggest fan" Nikki replied "You'd be doing yourself a favor if you just left him alone. You know, consider yourself lucky" she then said as Amelia thought back to Marcus telling her that

"What do you want?" Amelia demanded

"Do your research before you get all love drunk" Nikki said as put her cigarette out on her desk before getting up from her seat to write down something on one of Amelia's card "If you want to talk, call me. Do your research, and then we'll talk" she said before handing over the card to Amelia then left the office

* * *

Coming down the staircase with the now walking Olivia, Addison couldn't help but be excited about having her own child soon with Sam. She didn't need to hear him say it in order for her to realize that he was uber excited about the idea of having another set of feet running around their cozy beach house. Leading Olivia into her play area, Addison made sure that she was settled before she made her way over towards the kitchen to join Sam, who was cooking away. If there was anything that she loved in a man that she has grown to see is a huge trait, she loved a man that could cook. He spoiled her with the greatness of his meal selection and how he just knew what she wanted to eat whether she wanted to or not, she always ended up loving his food to the point where it was a highlight to her day…it was even beginning to trump sex between them. Looking over her folder of possible doctors that she had narrowed down during work, she felt as if she was that much closer to finding the duplicate Addison whether guy or girl. Bringing over a glass of wine for himself and a glass of milk, she could only guess which one was hers.

"I've been reduced to milk?" Addison asked

"Organic" Sam replied "What are you looking at?" he asked as he took a seat next to her

"I'm looking at Dr. Harper and Dr. Richmond" Addison told him

"I remember Harper, we went to med school with him…he did the naked mile thing" Sam laughed before Addison quickly ripped the portfolio out on him and threw it into the rash

"Anyone that we knew in med school won't qualify" Addison replied

"Why? Besides the fact that he's clearly no you" Sam said

"Do you remember what happened to him after the naked mile?" Addison said hoping to refresh his memory

"Okay, maybe he's not the best selection" Sam said taking a moment to realize what happened to Dr. Harper during med school "Dr. Raymond looks like a mix of man and woman" he then commented

"No, she doesn't. She's contained all the qualities I find excellent in myself as a doctor" Addison replied "I think I've found our duplicate me" she smiled

"If this is the other you then I hope and pray you remain an original copy" Sam said before she leaned in to kiss him

"Olivia even approved of her" Addison said looking over at the smiling baby before Amelia made her way inside the house with a ringing cell phone

"Somehow I knew you'd come over" Sam said as Amelia grabbed Olivia from the play area and flopped down on the sofa "Aren't you going to answer the ringing phone?" he asked as she just played with the laughing baby

"Its Marcus" Amelia replied

"Oh, is it about what we discussed this morning?" Addison asked

"What did you two discuss?" Sam asked wanting to be a part in the conversation

"Marcus and Amelia slept together in the back seat of his car" Addison said as Sam just turned to look at Amelia

"With our clothes on" Amelia quickly replied

"After dancing" Addison then added

"So then why are you avoiding him?" Sam asked

"Because I have a new update for you, some girl that I thought was my patient turns out to be like some crazed fan of his. She basically looked me up and wanted to see me, she told me to research him then talk to her" Amelia said

"She does sound crazy" Addison said

"She advised me to leave him alone and that I should consider myself lucky" Amelia said

"Did she threaten you?" Sam asked a bit concerned

"No, she just seemed like a hurt ex or something" Amelia said

"So are you going to quote on quote research him?" Addison asked

"I have no choice but to. Then I thought if I want to research him then I should just read a tabloid magazine" Amelia said "That even sounds crazy when I say it, I like a guy who's in a gossip magazine" she declared

"You got the easy brochure to dating in Los Angeles, you want the dirt you turn to page six…I had to live through it" Addison laughed

"Just tell Marcus" Sam suggested

"Tell him what? That some crazy girl came in and wants me to leave you alone?" Amelia asked

"That sounds like a good conversation starter" Addison replied

"No, I think I should just…research. I mean what if she is right" Amelia said "What if Marcus isn't what I think he is" she said

"Oh, your just trying to find the downside of what you feel about him. You feel like a school girl with a crush and you can't handle that" Addison said

"No, I can't and I don't do school girl crushes well. This is why…"Amelia said before she realized she had the baby with her so she quickly covered her ears before she spoke once more "Sex is the best way in a relationship" she said

"Just talk to him. You might be making a big deal out of nothing" Sam replied

"I don't know, I mean a guy like him is bound to have followers who are on the looney side but with a bit of truth" Addison said

"Talk to him" Sam said once again

"All right, all right" Amelia said as she took her hands off of Olivia's ears "So what is this about finding the duplicate Addison?" she then asked

"She wants our child to be brought into this world by a duplicate world class surgeon such as herself" Sam teased

"What? No luck on the baby doctor search?" Amelia asked

"No luck because there was no me. I don't like all these other doctors, I almost feel ashamed to be tagged as an OBGYN due to the doctors we've seen today" Addison complained "So I have come to the conclusion that I need to find someone who best resembles me" she smiled proudly

"You mean someone who can operate on a baby while in and out of the womb" Amelia joked "So who has made the cut?" she asked

"Dr. Raymond" Sam announced as he handed Amelia the portfolio

"It's a little shocking that you have a portfolio, but he looks okay" Amelia commented

"It's a she" Sam replied as Amelia looked shocked

"Yeah, I vote against Dr. Raymond" Amelia replied

"Two against one. Now I get to pick our next doctor visit" Sam declared

"Call Dr. Shim all you want but I still think this is the best duplicate of me" Addison replied

"Yes, an uglier version" Amelia replied

"Maybe I should call Marcus and tell him what your really up to" Addison suggested before Amelia just rolled her eyes and then got up to hand the baby over to Addison, who was more than thrilled to have Olivia, before she made her way towards the door

"Bye!" Amelia declared before she left

* * *

Playing with her packets of sugar, Amelia did all she could to occupy her thoughts as she awaited Nikki's arrival. She had no idea as to why she was even entertaining the thought of meeting a girl she had barely met only hours ago. Running possible outcomes over and over in her head she could only hope that this research that she didn't do wouldn't effect what she thought about Marcus. Coming inside the restaurant, Nikki stopped off at the counter to order a water for herself which gave Amelia more than enough time to rethink if she should even be here, but by the time Nikki received her water she was well on her way over towards where Amelia was sitting. For a moment the two just there in silence as Nikki sipped on her water while Amelia just looked at her strangely. Nothing about this girl seemed okay, Amelia thought to herself but somehow she needed to know what her true connection was to Marcus that could lead her to believe that research was vital when it came to Marcus. Wishing more than anything at this point, Amelia had pulled her cell phone out to google Marcus on her smart phone to see if she could beat Nikki to the point.

"I knew you wouldn't" Nikki laughed to herself

"Knew I wouldn't what?" Amelia asked

"Do your research. That's what's wrong with girls like you" Nikki said

"And what is wrong with girls like me?" Amelia asked

"Your only phased by the looks and never look into a guy to see what they're really about" Nikki replied

"Look, I don't have time for this. I'm not even sure why I'm here to begin with" Amelia said as she rose from her seat

"I know Marcus" Nikki blurted out before Amelia turned to look at her

"You've made that abundantly clear, but how you know Marcus is where I'm confused at? Are you like some stalker or an angry ex…what is it?" Amelia asked

"You could say so" Nikki replied

"To what?" Amelia asked

"I'm Marcus's ex-wife" Nikki then said as Amelia just froze as she slowly took her seat once again

"Ex wife? I didn't know he was even married?" Amelia asked

"That's because it felt like a lifetime since we were married. We were high school sweethearts, when we graduated we got married and then moved" Nikki said

"So your just fiercely protective or stalkerish of him?" Amelia asked

"Something like that. Look Marcus will always be someone I truly care about, but he's very much someone I worry about" Nikki said

"But why?" Amelia asked

"Because Marcus is a recovering addict" Nikki said as Amelia just felt even more confused as to what she was hearing

"Okay, this becoming a bit much. An addict?" Amelia asked with a slight laugh "He nearly freaked when I told him about my little problem so its kind of hypocritical of him to have that reaction and then secretly be an addict himself" she said

"You heard the word recovering, right?" Nikki asked

"Yes, I heard the word. I'm recovering as well, you know, before you judge and all" Amelia replied

"He was a sex addict" Nikki told her just as Marcus had made his way inside the restaurant surprised to see Amelia and Nikki together. Turning around to see what it was that Nikki was looking at, Amelia just hung her head unsure of what to think about anything when it came to him. Slowly approaching the girls, Marcus wore a look of anger and embarrassment all wrapped into one

"So this is what you had to do?" Marcus asked Nikki

"She needs to know" Nikki replied

"No, that's my business to tell. Not yours" Marcus quickly snapped at her

"And at this point I think I should just go" Amelia said rising from her seat before Marcus stepped in front of her

"We need to talk. I can explain whatever it is that she has told you" Marcus said

"Can you? I mean you clearly didn't want me to know so will you tell me the whole truth or the version you want me to know?" Amelia asked

"The whole truth" Marcus replied "But without you Nick" he said looking over at Nikki

"Tell her everything Marcus" Nikki said as she rose to her feet

"Good bye Nick" Marcus replied

"Fine. We'll be in touch Marcus" Nikki said before she walked away to leave them alone

"Can we go back to my place?" Marcus asked

"Is this a stall tactic for you to figure out what lie your going to tell?" Amelia asked

"No. I just…this is personal and I kind of don't want the world to know" Marcus replied as he extended his hand towards her "Can we please just talk in private?" he then asked her as she brushed past him and made her way to leave the restaurant with Marcus following behind her

* * *

Feeling movement beside him in the bed, Sam slowly looked over to see that Addison was still up reading more profiles. Throwing his head back on his pillow as he seriously contemplated whether he should wake up or just go back to sleep, he knew that no matter what he was going to hear about this in the morning. Ever since they had found they were expecting she had just seemed to plan every aspect of her pregnancy down to a tee, which was perfectly normal but he feared it was going beyond normalcy and into a zone that needed to be addressed. Looking over her portfolio's closely and with the intent on finding the duplicate Addison, she had barely noticed that he was awake beside her in the bed. Sitting up in the bed, he rubbed his eyes for a few moments before he just looked over at her to see that she really hadn't paid too much attention to him so he knew he would have to do something drastic. Grabbing the portfolio out from her hands, Sam thought of slinging it out of the window but he knew that would be to drastic and the possibility of him being thrown could be next, so he just placed on his nightstand while Addison looked on at him with much shock before she attempted to retrieve the book.

"I was still looking at that" Addison told him as she extended over his body to get the book but he blocked her attempts "Sam" she said trying once again

"What's going on with you? I mean I would chalk this up to you being organized but…this is too much" Sam asked her

"The fact that I want our child to be brought in by…" Addison said before he cut her off

"A duplicate Addison" Sam replied as he cut her off "I'm learning that, but I can assure you that there is no one else like you" he said

"We could at least try" Addison said once again trying to grab the book

"Nope. I'm pretty sure I got the last of you, and if there is another Addison out there then they still don't compare to the original" Sam said as he was able to stop her extension

"I love you opinion of me, I really do. I need the book back though, I think I may have found a couple that could fit" Addison sighed

"Okay, well it doesn't matter at this point because what matters is that we're having a baby" Sam said

"I think I was there for that news" Addison replied before she tried once again to grab the book

"We're going to have a beautiful baby that will have ten fingers and ten toes. Healthy as can be, and will have a smile just like their mothers. No doctor will guarantee us that, I don't care if their the duplicate you, but as long as we believe that and strive to do what is good for the baby then we will have that child" Sam said "I know your scared that something might come back to pop you back into your so called reality of tragedy, but you've got to start believing that you deserve to be happy" he said as Addison took a moment to think

"She's gone. I thought she was going to be here to help us through, and we'd all somehow go back to normal but she's gone. I'm more scared than ever because I just feel like something else is gonna go in my life…so if I plan and plan for the unexpected then it won't hurt as bad if I'm prepared" Addison said

"Nae loves you. Regardless of what you two have gone through, what we've all gone through…she still loves you. Her leaving doesn't effect us and our soon to be family" Sam told her

"I can't be like you. I can't accept things for the greater good, I need answers and reasons. I want solutions and if I have a doctor that meets that, in which I pride myself on having then I'd feel better" Addison said as a tear fell from her eyes making her feel like a baby "Now I'm being a cry baby" she said to herself

"No, your not. Your expressing how you feel and I will never fault you for doing that" Sam said pulling her into a hug "We're going to be fine, and so will this baby" he told her

"How can you be so sure? I mean I don't exactly have a great track record with kids" Addison said

"Because your carrying my child. My children are resistant to anything and everything…they will fight and scratch anything foreign to them. So I suggest you stop putting onions on everything" Sam joked as Addison couldn't help but joke

"Onions aren't bad. They're really good" Addison laughed

"Yeah, but I'm noticing that when I kiss you now its like I'm kissing an onion" Sam laughed "I mean I still find you sexy but the onion breath is….a little much" he joked as she threw her hands up to cover her mouth

"I get onion breath?" Addison asked in shock

"Your not immune to it" Sam laughed before she straddled him

"Do I have it now?" Addison asked in between laughter as she tried to breath on him

"No. No. I don't need to smell your breath" Sam said trying to dodge her breath

"C'mon Sam" Addison laughed as she kept trying to breath on him but he was able to dodge her most of the time

"Your insane" Sam laughed before he fell out of the bed

"I hope our daughter isn't as clumsy as you" Addison said as she leaned over the bed to look down at him

"Don't worry, our son will be athletically inclined" Sam laughed as he looked up at her before she came down to join him on the floor to kiss him

"We should work on getting twins" Addison said in between kisses

"How about triplets or foreverlets" Sam joked as she just looked at him with confusion with the last word

"What?" Addison laughed "Foreverlets" she continued to laugh

"Because I could go all night" Sam teased as she began to laugh hysterically

"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard" Addison laughed before he pulled her in to another kiss "What are we going to work on infinity lets" she joked as she broke the kiss before he began to kiss her neck

"Or gazillion" Sam said as he broke away from kissing her neck to relieve himself of his shirt while she undid her buttoned up pajama top to reveal her black lace bra. Capturing his lips with hers he quickly rolled on top of her doing his best to make sure that he wouldn't place too much of his weight on her, but as she kept pulling him in it was becoming hard not to just devour her at this moment.

* * *

Tossing his keys onto the kitchen counter, Marcus turned on all the lights to his penthouse while Amelia followed cautiously behind him unsure as to why she even came. Continually massaging his head he tried to think of the best way to go about talking about this with her but he knew there wasn't going to be a prime example of how to go about this even though he knew at some point in his life he was going to do this with someone, but never did he plan so soon. Looking on at the nervousness that took over his body she felt a little scared as to what he had to say to her but she knew she couldn't leave like he had done to her, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of repeating his mistake but she couldn't promise that they would be fine after this though. Walking over to his mini bar he poured himself a drink and just took a few moments to calm himself down while Amelia just grabbed a seat on the sofa waiting for him to start talking. Gripping on tight to his glass he did his best to just find the balance within himself that would allow him to accept that this was something he had to deal with and just hope that she would understand. Putting the drink down on the counter, he slowly turned and made his way over towards her to take a seat next to her on the sofa.

"Are you ready now?" Amelia asked

"Yeah, I'm as ready as I'll ever be" Marcus replied as he took deep breaths

"So Nikki was your ex-wife?" Amelia asked

"Yes, we got married straight out of high school. She was my girlfriend all through out junior high and in high school, we went off to John Hopkins University" Marcus told her

"And the sex addiction? What role did that play in the end of your marriage….I'm just trying to understand all of this because this is a lot to take in a matter of one day, when I felt like you should have told me long before this" Amelia said unable to hide her frustration "I mean I'm thinking that your some great guy and then all this comes out. I don't know what to think of you because at least I was up front with you" she said

"I know, but this isn't something you just bring up as a regular conversation" Marcus replied

"But you bring it up, that's the key point. You tell the person that your thinking about getting involved with or whatever we are" Amelia said

"Okay, so if I was upfront with you then you would have accepted it?" Marcus asked

"I'm in no position to judge, so yeah, I would have" Amelia quickly replied sternly as Marcus got up from his seat to pace the floor nervously

"No, I can see it" Marcus said shaking his head in disbelief

"You can see what?" Amelia asked him

"I can see the judgment in your eyes. I know this disgusts you!" Marcus yelled

"I know what I can take and believe me I can take the fact that at a point in your life you were a sex addict or maybe you still are, but I can't take lies" Amelia fired back at him letting him know that she was more than capable of hearing the truth "So start talking!" she demanded

"I had been interning for Justin Henderson, he was a well known doctor up in Marina del ray and just basically in the Los Angeles region. The clients he had were numerous athletes from past to present, he helped each and every one of them and expected his interns to as well. It was like we were all on pay roll twenty four- seven, his popularity came at the fact that he would do anything and everything for his patients and no one questioned him because the money he was bringing in was like the university had a collegiate championship football team. Henderson had one patient named Richard McCall, he was one of the greatest point guards in the NBA, and he struggled with drugs for a pretty long time so he'd have me handle his rehab facilities and his treatment plan" Marcus told her as he began to recall the events "I must've seen Richard everyday just handling whatever he needed medically…he always used to say that I cured him, I was the miracle worker and that Henderson was holding me back. He became like a father to me at a time where everything was so screwed up with my own father" he said becoming emotional

"With everything that was happening with your brother" Amelia concluded

"He'd see how I was dealing with it, and he would just always tell me that success was the cure to that problem. Success would numb the pain, and I started to believe him…so I just put all my focus on being the best at what I did. I started to take clients behind Henderson's back telling them that soon I would open my own practice based on everything Henderson did but better…you know how cocky we all are in med school, when we get a tad of confidence that we're good" Marcus said

"And what effect did it have on your marriage, with the practice and all you were planning to open?" Amelia asked

"Nikki was supportive because she knew how passionate I was, and I just think she wanted me to focus on other things outside of what was going on with my family. When Henderson found out he threatened to end my career because he owned me, but I knew he couldn't because I was the closest to all his affairs both illegally and legal of all his interns because of the relationship I had established with his clients. I ended my internship with him on promise to not go public with his dealings so I pretty much had to rely on my contacts to start up my practice. McCall got out of rehab, he knew what had gone down with Henderson so he wanted to invest in me. I took out a loan for ever seventy five thousand on top of what McCall was bringing to the table, I was set. Nikki helped out and even started doing pediatrics at our facility that had become to be known as Pro-Rate, it was geared towards my own client intake as well as clients that McCall brought in for me, then with Nikki's field…we were set. We were making money like nothing and at a steady pace that I was able to pay back my loan in under two years. With all the celebrity coming in and out, you can't help but get caught up in it so I started hanging out after work with McCall at the clubs and stuff…hell, we picked up clients at the clubs some times. The more and more I kept hearing people telling me how good I was, I just kept believing that I was untouchable and being faithful was getting harder and harder each night with the rate I was going out" Marcus told her as Amelia listened on with more intrigue as he spoke "Met one girl, who was persistent and like that I had cheated on my wife. Each night I went out I just felt like the persona I was taking on was bigger than me, like it was supposed to be…I had a guy who like a father figure to me, and I was loved" he then said

"Unlike what you were getting from your parents" Amelia said

"Nikki kept hounding me about what I was doing, and if I was cheating…I couldn't take it, so I just kept turning to other women to a point where I would wake up with the intent of cheating on her. It was never with the same girl, I thought I was being responsible in my own mind by not cheating with the same girl in fear of that Nikki would learn my patterns. McCall knew what was happening to me but we were both at our prime so he figured if its what I needed than to let me have it, there would be times he'd introduce me to women clients with the intent for me to sleep with them so they would bring in their husbands for business. I learned that one of my sexual partners had a sexually transmitted disease, so I got in contact with her and set up all the tests she needed to determine if I had it as well. The results were phoned to me, but Nikki had intercepted the call" Marcus said

"How long were you having sex with random girls?" Amelia asked unable to control her emotions as she could see the visible effects this was having on Marcus as he had to relive his past

"I had slept with over two hundred girls in a span of one year. Nikki wanted to work things out and I had tried but I couldn't let go of that part of my life. She wanted to make a family and I just…I couldn't give that to her because I wanted the life of a rockstar I guess. My marriage was falling apart and I only sought solace in the arms of a stranger because I felt like that this person for one night will love me…will see me as something special and extraordinary. I'd feel guilty after but I needed it, it became all that I thought about" Marcus said

"When did you start to realize you were an addict?" Amelia asked

"I knew, I mean I was a doctor…I knew that something was wrong with me, its just that doctors are the hardest to convince that something is wrong with them. The money we were bringing in was starting to fuel our spending habits so that we were taking money out of the practice in our courting clients. McCall would take out over ten thousand a week just to dine one client, and I would take out twice as much just to fuel the habit…trips to Vegas, and just hotels. The practice was losing money with all that we were spending, that we had to shut it down. I wanted to try to save it but McCall had lost interest and wanted to seek other endeavors with a new expansion team that was coming to the NFL. I was broke and I had a wife to support, I had not a dollar to my name because everything I had was tied up in the practice so that just eventually became the last straw in my marriage. Nikki and I divorced but she still looked after me, she put me in rehab for my addiction" Marcus told her

"And that's why she felt the need to look me up? It's all starting to make sense now" Amelia said to herself

"She helped me through some pretty dark times, so she does have a tendency to be over protective of me because she's practically my only family. I never told my family because that would only make them think less of me than what they all ready did, so Nikki would take a percentage of her check to put towards my treatment" Marcus said

"Did you two ever try to work things out? I mean she was pretty loyal to you" Amelia asked

"I wanted to but the damage was all ready done. It was about a couple of months when I got out that Nikki had gotten remarried, she has two kids now with her husband. Watching her walk down the aisle with her now husband was the lowest point of it all because for the first time I realized the damage I did to my life. The woman that I had vowed my life to was making vows to some other guy and there was nothing I could do about it. So I just wanted to start over, renew what I wanted and just be better this time around. I went back to med school to become a general surgeon, worked my way back up the latter" Marcus said

"Have you abstained from sex completely?" Amelia asked

"I have for almost two years. I know that sounds off with all the girls I'm pictured with but those are just pictures, I haven't slept with anyone while moving down to Los Angeles" Marcus replied

"Two years? I don't think I've abstained for two months…but two years" Amelia said trying to grasp what he had just told her "But everyone keeps calling you some sort of playboy" she said

"I was at one point in my life. I was a playboy in the media's eye, I still am in the media's eyes but I don't define myself anymore but what people say or print about me, that's what lead to the problem" Marcus replied

"So does Nikki pop up anytime your about to have sex?" Amelia asked as he couldn't help but laugh at how she said that

"No, she just had heard a lot of rumblings that we were seen frequently with each other. She just thought I would lie about my past. Look she's frustrating but she just wants me to be honest about what I've done as a way of truly starting over" Marcus said

"And are you starting over?" Amelia asked "Is this what we are, starting over?" she then asked

"I want us to be. I know finding out that I was a sex addict puts a damper on your plans to have sex, but for the first time I feel like when I look at you that I want to get to know you. I want to care about the things you care about, and I want be passionate about the things your passionate about…I care about you a lot and I just don't want to mess up" Marcus said as he let out a sigh of frustration

"Everyone has a past, some have dark ones but everyone has a past" Amelia replied as a moment of silence came between them "Do you ever think about it though? Having sex again?" she asked

"Yeah, when I'm with you" Marcus replied as Amelia felt her heart skip a beat by his blunt answer "I want to be close with someone like that again, I want sex to mean something to me again. I feel an attraction to you, but it scares me because I'm unsure as to what kind it is. Last night when I just held you on my stiff back seat…it was the first time I had felt at ease with being next to a woman in that manner, it felt good" he said

"With you just holding me?" Amelia asked

"Sometimes any form of touch can be better than sex, you just don't know it yet" Marcus smiled weakly at her as a moment of silence came between them "I'll understand if you want to go home" he sighed as he rose from his seat

"Yeah, I should…go home" Amelia said as she rose to her feet not realizing how close she was to him before she slowly turned around and made her way over towards the door as all he could do was watch her walk away from him. Placing her hand on the wall as she stopped, Amelia turned the lights off causing Marcus to look at her with confusion. Turning off the kitchen light so that the penthouse was dimly lit, Amelia made her way back over towards where he was before she took her shoes off

"What are you doing?" Marcus asked softly as if he felt he would wake the dead if he were to ask in his normal tone before she had relieved herself of her coat. With every movement his eyes stayed focus on her frame as he hoped that she wouldn't be the death of him because he wasn't sure that he could abstain much longer if she continued any longer "Sheperd, I can't do this. I just can't" he muttered before she grabbed his hand

"We don't have do anything, but I just want to be with you tonight" Amelia said as they both took a seat on the sofa "This is better than your car anyways, much more comfortable" she said as she laid back on the sofa

"I tend to fall asleep on it from time to time" Marcus replied as she pulled him towards her so that he could lay in the crack between her and the sofa that way she would end up in his arms "But this is most comfortable I've been in a long time" he replied

"Yeah" Amelia replied "You know for a first date, you've certainly topped my list of them" she laughed

"This can't be our first date" Marcus laughed "I refuse for it to be" he said

"Well too bad, its all ready been stored in the memory bank as our first date. You should be lucky because I hate first dates" Amelia said as they began to play with each others fingers

"Why?" Marcus asked as they just spent the rest of the night talking and laughing all while being wrapped up in each others embrace.

* * *

Looking out at the ocean as a light breeze came through, she couldn't help but love the scenery and how in this moment it just seemed to fit. Earlier on in the day Maya had come by to pick up Olivia since she had come back earlier than anticipated with helping Naomi get settled back in New York. Since they were able to get down to the root of the problem which was still a bit fuzzy but not as much as before, Addison and Sam were both able to choose their doctor and even went in to see the doctor for a visit to learn that the progress of the pregnancy was going along smoothly. Wrapped up in a blanket in his embrace all she could do was cuddle up to the warmth his body gave her like it was some sort of strength that he was infusing in her without even knowing it. Placing sweet kisses on the side of her face he just couldn't control the affection he wanted to show her, he'd kiss her every second of the day and every nanosecond of a moment if he could because she just had this effect on him that made him want to. With the fact that she was going to bring his child into the world he just knew every morning that he woke up to her that he would love her more than his soul could imagine because that's just what he did to him.

"Dr. Gomez, I actually liked her" Addison smiled as she nudged her head back in the crook of his neck so that she could kiss his chin

"I liked her as well especially since I picked her" Sam gloated

"I thought you weren't going to gloat?" Addison asked him

"I said I would try not to, not that I wouldn't. Besides, you don't let me be right on a lot of things so I'm enjoying this" Sam smiled

"You know why you liked her?" Addison asked in anticipation for his answer as he just shook his head "Because she was a duplicate Addison" she laughed

"No, because she was qualified" Sam declared

"You bought into my beliefs Sam, just admit it. You started looking for duplicate Addison" Addison laughed

"Okay, if it stops you from using that title then yes, I was looking for duplicate Addison. I just hope this doctor won't be as frustrating as the original Addison" Sam replied as she hit him in the stomach

"You can't talk to the mother of your child like that. You have to be soothing and supportive" Addison laughed

"I was soothing and supportive all last night, emphasis on all last night" Sam laughed

"Oh, god. The words we were creating made us go down a notch on the I.Q. level, is that our new form of foreplay now? Creating make believe words?" Addison asked

"I don't need foreplay, I'm ready at all times. I could take you in the sand right now as we speak. We have a blanket so we're all ready set to go" Sam teased

"In the sand?" Addison asked "Really? Sam" she asked

"Have you ever in the sand?" Sam asked

"No" Addison replied

"Then we should put that on our to-do to do it at list" Sam said

"Okay, we really should now that I think about it" Addison said

"And with your hormones, you'll be up for anything now. You might be an extra freak in the sheets" Sam said

"I know, this could be great for our sex life" Addison laughed "I mean you've all ready accomplished the job of knocking me up by your mad skills in the sheets" she joked

"I'm telling you, I'll have you with a house full of kids" Sam teased as she just busted into laughter

**Authors Note: Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter as there will be more to come. I just wanted to clarify as to what's gone on in the story and to what has gone on in the show. I don't know if many of you have seen what has transpired this week but I do have to say as a fan of Addisam I wasn't pleased. I wasn't so pleased that I almost considered not writing this story for a while because I felt like the character of Sam had just took a big hit that I want to see where exactly he was heading, but then I realized that my fic has nothing to do with the show and that I was over reacting besides its a release from the crap we do get on the show sometimes. I'm still a bit bitter so I tweaked the story and moved Naomi out of Addisam's storyline, she is where she will be at the end of the season on the real show...in New York. I just moved her quicker than Shonda has. Depending on how things go on the show I will try to work Naomi back in because she is such a huge part of Addisons life, but right now I don't think she's a healthy part of it. I hope you enjoy the chapter and please give feedback on the story or just how you feel in general. Everything will remain the same as far as what you've come to expect from this fic so far.**

**SPOILERS**

**Addisam- They will still be on their journey of being pregnant and expecting. There will be more of Addison's family drama coming up especially with the diaries her mother left. Sam will also be facing the fears of being a father again.**

**Marcus and Amelia- They will grow closer over the coming chapters, but they will both have thier demons to deal with that will effect their relationship.**


	11. Love Conversions

Chapter Eleven- Love Conversions

Pulling into the driveway he let out a great sigh of relief that his day was finally over and he was finally at home, where he could just rest and relax. Home had always been absent from his life since he divorced from Naomi, and the beach house had just became his residence to live as opposed to actually being a home. Maya had room that she frequented at least twice a month but nothing that made him feel like his daughter truly lived there, but now that he had this new life to live with Addison, he found his home again. She had welcomed so much of his life by creating a room for both Maya and Olivia in her house that he moved into but never had he felt like this wasn't his home. He enjoyed turning it their home as she came to call it but more so he was just glad to have that feeling like you had somewhere concrete to go to where memories existed and not just walls plastered with pictures to help recreate the memories he felt were fading as time came and passed. Entering the house he quickly spotted his red head curled up on the sofa reading yet another one of Bizzy's diary before he went over to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. For the past couple of days Addison had gotten off of work early so she could come home to read the latest entries in Bizzy's diaries, it had seemed to be therapeutic for her reading her mothers words as she was slowly realizing who her mother truly was through her own words.

"What's the latest in the scandalous life of Bizzy?" Sam asked as he walked over to the fridge to grab a beer before he joined her back on the sofa

"I'm being introduced to her converter. Her name is Jillian Murdoch, which is strange because I remember the Murdoch's" Addison said excitedly

"Murdoch, that even sounds all waspy like. What is Bizzy saying about Jill?" Sam asked as he rested his head on her shoulder

"She just keeps describing how beautiful Jillian is. Apparently Jillian use to be her babysitter as a child, so maybe she was obsessed with her ever since she was little. Could that happen?" Addison asked

"A fascination could be formed I would think. I had a thing for Farah Fawcett at a young age" Sam replied

"Really? Mine was Paul McCartney. You know when he was still in the Beatles, I always wondered his kisses would be like as a child but of course Bizzy hated music that wasn't classical so I was a closeted Beatles fan" Addison said

"You always use to study to Beatles music. I remember because Derek use to come to my dorm room to study because you'd hum as you read" Sam laughed

"What can I say? I was liberated in college. I was able to be the loving Beatles fan that I wanted to be" Addison replied

"Did Jillian ever acknowledge the crush? Or was Jillian ever gay?" Sam asked

"I don't know. I mean it just sounds like Bizzy admires Jill from a far, nothing else transpires but then again I have more to read" Addison said as she closed the book to give Sam a kiss before she slowly broke away "How was work?" she asked

"You should know, you were there" Sam replied

"No, I meant after I left for the day. I know Charlotte wanted to talk to you" Addison said

"Oh, just about them finding Wyatt's accomplice in his pill scandal. There is a new protocol now for team members having hospital access and scrubbing in on surgeries. I'm sure you'll get the talk tomorrow" Sam replied

"Not looking forward to it. Never would expect Wyatt to be a part of that, but then again people surprise you" Addison said as Sam wrapped his arms around her and began to drift off to sleep "I was kind of looking forward to you making dinner" she whispered

"I know. I'm gonna make you your grilled chicken with the pesto sauce. I kind of picked up on the fact that you wanted that when you kept leaving sticky notes on my computer on your dinner choices" Sam replied as he kept his eyes shut

"And here I thought you didn't get them, when I specifically wrote e-mail me back on them" Addison laughed

"No, I got them. All thirty of them" Sam replied as Addison just laughed to herself

"Sorry" Addison replied in a girly voice

"No, no. I like knowing that I'm needed, all thirty times" Sam teased her

* * *

Gripping on tight to her pillow she began to stir awake until her eyes began to flutter open as she heard the sound of water running in the shower. Looking over her shoulder she could see that he wasn't in bed beside her so most likely it was Marcus, which she pretty much knew since they had basically slept together every night since she learned his deep dark secret. Sleeping together now took on a new definition for her since sleeping with him actually meant sleeping with him. Sometimes she felt guilty for having explicit thoughts and dreams about him as she lay beside him because she wanted so badly to just rip his clothes off but knew that he wasn't ready for that step just yet. She had even tried to dream about the day in which he would be ready, it was morphing into her own little porn in her mind and that eventually started to make her feel guilty because once again she was seeing him as a sex object. Sitting up in the bed, Amelia began to run her fingers through her hair as she just went over all the stuff she had to do today at the practice. As she became lost in her thoughts, she couldn't help but notice the crack in the door that lead to the bathroom in which she was clearly seeing a good view of Marcus outside of the shower. She was more than lost in his features and glad that she was right about him having a six pack, but the more she looked at him the more she realized how much she wanted him and before she began to drool over his physique she was quickly torn away by him opening up the door where he was dressed in his boxers.

"Good morning" Marcus smiled as he leaned in towards where she was to grab his cell phone but she had misinterpreted as him trying to kiss her. Noticing that he was going for his cell she then just quickly kissed his forehead as a bail out option "Okay" he replied a little confused by their awkwardness but didn't think too much of it "Anything big on the neuro front for you today?" he asked as he began to put his dress pants on while Amelia couldn't help but stare at him unknowingly

"Huh?" Amelia asked being torn away from her thoughts

"Neuro, what surgeries do you have today?" Marcus asked her "Are you okay?" he asked

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about…all those surgeries I have" Amelia replied

"Okay, which ones?" Marcus asked as he leaned over to grab his belt before he got up to put it on

"Mostly just scans, I'm hoping to not have to do surgery on a recent patient I got. You know the one from that flood victim" Amelia told him

"Yeah, I remember. Was it just the motor skills that were waning or was it more?" Marcus asked as Amelia did her best to make eye contact with him but the more she looked at him the more she realized how perfect his abs her then she just saw her on his abs and things went downhill from there with her

"I think I want to go to best buy" Amelia just blurted out wanting to change the subject

"Why do you want to go to Best Buy?" Marcus asked a bit confused by the subject change "Is your phone acting up again? Let me see it" he asked her as he leaned across her body to grab her cell phone to check it out while Amelia did all she could to remain in control of her hormones

"I just want a Wii…oh, how you have no idea how I want wii" Amelia said as she ran her mind over all the movements that they could do with a wii system that would enhance his physical features

"A wii? Since when do you play video games?" Marcus asked "You watch sports but you never video game" he said

"Because I don't have the time to play video games" Amelia replied

"You can sit and watch a basketball game with me but you never play video games" Marcus pointed out

"Well I'm considering the good things that will happen if I get a wii system, and I want one. I'm going to get a video game system, maybe even a new television" Amelia said just adding to her list of stuff

"All right, you do that. Get the tennis game if you do get it today, it always makes me work up a sweat" Marcus said as he grabbed his dress shirt "I'm gonna watch sportscenter downstairs to see which athlete screwed up his body last night, and I'll most likely see today" he said before he left the bedroom

"This is becoming painful" Amelia said before she fell back in the bed as she grabbed a pillow to smother herself with

* * *

Reading over his patients charts as he stepped off the elevator, Sam made his way over to his office to drop off his files and hopefully get a moment to breath as the day was soon catching up to him once again. Checking his e-mails before heading over to Addison's office, Sam couldn't help but notice that she had brought her diaries to work with her as opposed to leaving them at home. Making his way inside her office he quickly made his way over towards her sofa and flopped down on it as he usually had while she continued on with her reading. Grabbing the shellfish off of her table he put it up to his ear and just pretended as if he could hear the ocean waves crash as if he were actually sitting out by the ocean just before Amelia stormed inside of the office and immediately flopped down on the chair beside Sam. Breaking her attention away from her diaries, Addison looked up to see that she had a full house of guests in her office. Putting her latest issue of Bizzy's diary off to the side she soon braced herself for what may come.

"I was here first, and I'm her boyfriend. So technically I get first dibs on her" Sam declared

"I'm not having sex!" Amelia declared before she checked around hoping that Marcus wasn't in his office and she was glad to see that he wasn't "And other things that make a sane relationship" she said

"Like that will take precedence over me" Sam laughed as he looked over at Addison then back at Amelia

"Wait, what? Sam, why are you here?" Addison then asked as he just looked at her with confusion

"Uh, I'm the person your dating slash the father to your child" Sam replied

"Why aren't you having sex?" Addison turned to ask Amelia as Sam just threw his hands up in the air in disbelief

"Because of reasons I can't tell you, but I'm not having it" Amelia replied

"Do you ever think that sex is not the key to everything in a relationship?" Sam asked

"Easier said than done, your having it" Amelia replied "I mean I get that he doesn't want to but its like everything he does is so damn sexy. This morning he came out in his boxers and was talking to me like it was nothing. Then I was trying to change subject by talking about Wii and he reaches across my body for my phone" she told them

"He clearly thinks your able to handle it" Sam replied

"And clearly she's not able to" Addison replied "What's wrong with not having it? I mean you two still sleep together" she said

"But the more we sleep together the more I want us to sleep together, but he's so headstrong on us getting to know each other" Amelia said

"What's wrong with that?" Sam asked again "Look you date the lowest among lowest of men, its refreshing to know that your actually dating a guy that likes you for you" he said

"Refreshing for who?" Amelia asked

"For you in the long run" Sam said

"Addie" Amelia said as she turned to look at the red head to see that she had started reading yet another entry in Bizzy's diary "Addison!" she then exclaimed causing her to jump

"Sorry, I thought Sam had it" Addison said before she put the diary back down to focus in on Amelia "Look, Marcus is different for you and you don't like different. Sometimes different is good for you even if its not what your use to, so embrace the different then maybe you'll have a different outcome" she said trying to string together words that would inspire her friend

"Basically everything I just told you" Sam replied

"Well at this point I'm just hoping he's some sort of sex God when we finally do sleep together" Amelia said just as her phone began to ring before she looked on at the caller identification "It's Marcus. He needs me to consult" she said as she got up from her seat

"Maybe you'll have sex in the supply closet" Addison said

"I highly doubt it, but thanks for the possibility of it happening" Amelia replied sadly before she made her way out of Addison's office. Getting up from his seat, Sam made his way over towards her as he began to kiss her neck while she just continued on with her reading.

"I have a few hours before my next surgery" Sam whispered in her ear

"Sam, this is getting good" Addison said still reading her diary

"I know, it could get very good if we close the blinds" Sam teased her as he pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss but it still wasn't enough to break her attention away from the diary

"Jill was gay" Addison then declared as she looked on at the diary closely "Jill kissed Bizzy after the black and white affair" she turned to tell Sam who just accepted that he wasn't going to get anything from her

"So she converted Bizzy" Sam replied "I'm not understanding the epicness of it" he said

"The epicness is that maybe Jill could be a living person to tell me about her" Addison replied

"Do you really think that Jill will give you all the answers to Bizzy? I mean she was a complicated woman" Sam said as he took on a nervous tone

"She's someone that knew Bizzy personally" Addison replied

"But what exactly do you expect to find?" Sam asked as he began to tighten up his tie as Addison began to notice that he was flinching

"Stop!" Addison demanded "Turn around, slowly" she then instructed as he did as told by her "What do you know about Jillian Murdoch?" she asked him

"What gives you that impression?" Sam asked as he began to play with his blackberry

"Your playing with your phone, that's sign number one that your hiding something. Tell me what you know?" Addison asked

"Okay, I know…I may know that Jillian Murdoch is related to one of the patients I have" Sam told her as Addison nearly jumped out of her seat to hit him on the arm

"You ass!" Addison declared

"I just found out. I happened to be going through my files and she signed on for an emergency contact" Sam said tending to his arm

"What is she doing in California?" Addison asked

"She moved out here to be with her son, he's the patient. He wanted to make sure that his heart condition wasn't going to be passed down to his unborn daughter" Sam told her

"I should be upset but luckily for you I'm desperate to see Jillian" Addison replied

"I get that you want to become proactive with the diaries Bizzy left behind but…" Sam said before Addison cut him off

"Oh, my God. Sam this is a perfect opportunity, you could call the patient and ask to see her as well for some bogus testing….then I can have my moment with her" Addison schemed

"But that's a lie. I mean the patient is in recovery" Sam said

"Look, the point is that I need to see Jillian. I have all these questions now that I'm reading these diaries and if she can give me my answers than I want to take the chance" Addison told him "Sam, please" she pleaded with him

* * *

The patient looked on from them as they each were messing with things, Amelia wrote stuff down on the patients charts while Marcus was adjusting his medicine. All he could do was just look on at his hands specifically down at his wedding band that was on his finger. Finishing up her notes on the chart, she put the folder back at the foot of the bed before she gave the patient a look of comfort while she did her best not to notice how tight those pants were on Marcus that it just made his ass look so good. Beginning to tremble as she looked on more intently, all she just kept thinking about was how he must've been in the bed…that's all that ran through her mind and she knew she had to stop. Giving the final instructions to his patient once more, Marcus made his way out of the room as she followed behind him out to the nurses station.

"Thanks for coming down on such short notice. This guy was more than ready to suit up for his game today, and I needed concrete evidence to show that he was in now way shape or form to play" Marcus said as he looked on at his next patients file

"Yeah, no problem. But I guess the real question is what makes you think he'll stay?" Amelia asked in her usual charm

"Because I've called his coach and his parents to inform them, so even if he manages to slip out he won't slip into a uniform" Marcus said "That tends to be another bad side to treating athletes" he smiled

"Well you know you could always fall back on the general abdomen surgeries" Amelia teased as he handed the chart over to the nurse

"Yeah, I think I'll stick with the jocks. Are you free for a bit?" Marcus asked her

"Uh, for a little. Why?" Amelia replied hoping that this was the segway to some really great sex

"I was thinking maybe we could grab some lunch" Marcus said as he grabbed her hand which sent her into over drive but she knew she couldn't make much of it because

"Yeah, that sounds good" Amelia replied as they made their way out of the hospital and over to the parking lot

"So have you gotten your Wii system yet?" Marcus laughed as he leaned up against his car while I just sat on the hood of the car trying to remember what he was talking about with the whole Wii system

"Yes, Wii is what I'm getting" Amelia laughed "Maybe we shouldn't get lunch" she then suggested as she pulled Marcus over towards her so that he was straddled in between her legs as he rested his head in the crook of her neck

"Then what should we do? I mean we've got surgeries and we have yet to decide who's place we're sleeping at tonight" Marcus replied as he began to tickle Amelia towards the end of her statement

"I hate tickling, you know I hate that" Amelia laughed as she tried to wrestle away from his embrace but found that his grip was too strong

"You don't hate it, you've just never been tickled the correct way" Marcus smiled as the distance between them at declined to the point where they were inches away from each other. Looking into his eyes doing her best to give him the confirmation that it was okay for him to kiss her, Amelia wanted so desperately to feel his lips against hers like it was suppose to be saving grace. Bringing his hand up to her face he brushed away a loose strand of hair away from her face as he just looked at her. He felt as if he could kiss her but something just kept stopping him even though he wanted so badly to kiss her, but he just couldn't. Pulling away from her, he just looked off at the road looking on at the cars travel the open highway "So your place or mine?" he then asked as Amelia just sighed

"You'll probably be tired after work, so you should just crash at my place" Amelia replied as she hopped off the hood of his car before she began to look on at her cell phone calendar "I actually need to go do a consult for a patient with Addison. This whole pregnancy thing is knocking her a percentage of her game, so I need to assist every now and then" she then said

"Sheperd" Marcus sighed in frustration knowing that his weirdness had caused her to change her plans

"Here's the key" Amelia said as she detached her house key from her key ring to hand to him

"Amelia" Marcus said trying to pull her towards him but she had managed to slip away from his grip

"I'll see you tonight, when you get it" Amelia smiled weakly before she walked off leaving him behind

* * *

Looking on at the television while Addison rested her head up against his chest as he looked on the Sportscenter highlights. For the first time in her life she felt with every chapter that she read, the closer she was getting to her mother. In the key moments in which she thought that Bizzy was her coldest it would come to be revealed that something so profound and tragic had happened in her own personal life that it was inevitable for it to reflect onto her relationship with Archer and her. Addison knew that the past couple of days she had been so wrapped up in reading the diaries that she had somewhat neglected Sam, but none the less she still loved how he even though he had no idea what she was discovery that he still wanted to be a part of her discoveries whether good or bad. Resting her cheek upon his arm she just felt so content being with him and enjoying their time together whether it was just hanging around the house watching sports or just going out…she just simply loved being with him and that's something she hadn't felt in a long time when it came to a guy.

"Can I get a preview of what's going on?" Sam asked as he muted the television

"Jill has one day before she leaves for Dartmouth. Bizzy apparently his having troubles deciding to go with the tulips or the roses for Jill" Addison filled him in

"The roses. Their romantic" Sam replied

"They are, but she's trying to be settle with her gift. I mean Bizzy really having a hard time trying to figure her feelings out, then with Jill leaving she's in this whole conundrum where she is racing against time" Addison said

"But she feels something for her, she should just tell her that" Sam said

"And risk the chance of exposing she's a lesbian. Around this time, this would have made her black sheep amongst the social circle where we lived" Addison told him "There wasn't a day in my life that Bizzy hadn't always managed to keep me up to speed with who's climbing the social latters of success, and who I should marry" she said

"Oh" Sam replied realizing that it was far more complicated than he realized "It's strange thinking about life back then. I mean a lot of things could be different if revolutionaries hadn't come along to challenge society rules" he said

"It wouldn't be acceptable for a woman to be a lesbian" Addison said

"It wouldn't be acceptable to date someone not of the same social standing, let alone get married" Sam then said

"It wouldn't be acceptable for blacks and whites to be together" Addison said as she played with his fingers while he linked his with hers

"Divorce would be frowned upon" Sam said

"Cheating would make you like the living embodiment of the Scarlett Letter" Addison replied "Life would be different then, and that's what she had to deal with" she sighed

"I'm beginning to understand why meeting Jill is so important to you" Sam said as he ran his fingers through her hair

"And I'm beginning to realize why I should meet her" Addison replied leaving him surprised

"Why?" Sam asked "I thought you wanted to meet her, to get answers?" he asked her

"I do, but I just feel like I'd be stepping out of Bizzy's word by doing that. Like what I'm reading isn't enough, like I have to get proof to back up what she's saying" Addison told him "And in some odd way, I like reading Bizzy's words…sometimes I imagine her telling me herself, like its our little girl talk or something. Does that sound stupid? To have so much interest in a collection of diaries" she asked

"Nothing your saying is stupid" Sam replied "I was actually warming up to your plan on trapping Jill" he then said

"I know it was brilliant, huh?" Addison asked "Do you think Jill converted Susan, to being gay as well?" she then asked

"Okay, I don't think this is like some vampire thing where Jill goes around converting socialite housewives into closet lesbians" Sam laughed

"It'd make a good tv show if you think about it, you know if she did" Addison smiled "I'm just surprised that you were so willing to lie to your patient just so I can get my time with Jill?" Addison looked up at him to ask

"I think you should know by now that I would do anything for you, no matter how crazed the plan is" Sam laughed

"My plan is good. I mean with our ear pieces we would be like private investigators capturing out our prey" Addison laughed

"The fact that you said prey lets me know it's a crazed plan" Sam said

"Well regardless of it being a crazed plan I want to say thank you. You've been great through all of this, not just the diaries but everything about Bizzy and Susan" Addison said as she sat up on the sofa

"You know you should really stop being surprised when I want to be with you and help you. Your carrying my child and the woman I hope to spend forever with, nothing should be surprising about me helping you because I plan to do that for the rest of my life" Sam smiled

"Are you proposing?" Addison laughed

"I don't think I did, but…" Sam replied before Addison interrupted him

"Whenever you do decided to propose this forever deal…I just want you to know that the answer will be yes" Addison smiled as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss

"So is that what I should title it. The forever deal?" Sam asked

"Or the entrapment deal…that just depends on if it's a good or bad day" Addison joked

* * *

Staring down at the bottom of her beer bottle she could feel herself slowly entering into the buzzed phase. It was getting well passed the time, in which Marcus would have come over to her house expecting her to be there. None of this made sense to her, the whole relationship thing…she was never the girl who did relationships because of the simple fact that caring would progress in to stifling what you truly wanted just to make the other person happy. Amelia wanted to be happy, but she had just come to think that her kind of happiness would be found in a good paying job with an amazing beach front view…at this rate she was getting closer to her kind of happiness. Love was for the fools and pain stricken, not a girl like her. She couldn't even recount a time where she had a steady boyfriend, hell she didn't even know if Marcus was her boyfriend…they slept in the same bed for about two weeks now but nothing came to something physical or even remotely like a so called boyfriend and girlfriend type of thing. There was nothing that made her feel like she was committed to Marcus, not that she wanted to be but she was denying something that she so desperately needed all because of supporting Marcus, who she didn't even know if he was her boyfriend. Downing the rest of her drink, she quickly put the bottle down and requested for another drink before a guy had taken a seat beside her.

"Vodka" The guy told the bartender as he served Amelia her beer "A lady drinking beer so late, you must've had a shitty day" the guy said as he observed her choice drink

"Something like that" Amelia laughed to herself as she took another sip of her drink

"Let me guess…" The guy said before she cut him off

"Please don't. I rather we just sit here and you wrestle with every ounce of knowledge you have in your brain on what pick up line you should use first" Amelia replied

"You're a straight shooter, don't meet those a lot" The guy laughed

"Because most are afraid to say what they want and mean what they say. I really don't give a crap what people feel or want to feel, right now your trying to get into my pants which puts me in control" Amelia said

"I really like you. I mean really" The guy laughed

"Your going to love this whole honesty kick, it'll do you good" Amelia smiled devilishly at him

"Okay" The guy said before he knocked back his drink "I have a room at the hotel down the street. I would love for you to come back with me" he said as he moved in closer towards her

"And what would we do in said room?" Amelia whispered in his ear as his hand roamed the side of her body

"I think you know because I can tell you want to as much as I do" The guy replied as he leaned in slowly to kiss her

"Let's go" Amelia said after she broke the kiss then grabbed her things before heading out of the bar with the guy following close behind her

* * *

Covering his eyes as he waited in anticipation as to what Addison was going to surprise him, Sam could hear her fumbling around upstairs for whatever item she was looking for that she was certain he had to see. Usually when Sam came in during the weekdays he would record the games so he could watch at night that way he could see if the highlights were justified on sportscenter rather than just one good play before going to bed. Almost caving in to the fact that he was alone downstairs with the flat screen television, he almost felt the urge to just put the game on so by the time Addison came back downstairs he'd all ready know if the game was worth watching. Just as he was about to give into his devious plans he could hear her heading towards the staircase, so he quickly covered his eyes up again so that he would still remain innocent even though he knew he was far from it. Taking a deep breath, Addison adjusted herself hoping that he would enjoy her surprise since he had been so supportive the past couple of months and even more so with the diaries.

"Can I open my eyes?" Sam asked her as he waited to hear the word

"Okay open" Addison smiled as he slowly brought his hands down to see that she was dressed in Miami Heat basketball jersey of Dwayne Wade before she handed over a gift bag to him

"I think this alone is the sexiest thing I've ever seen" Sam smiled as he went through the gift bag to pull out the baby jersey

"I know that's jinxing it a bit but I knew you'd like it" Addison said "Marcus ordered it for me, so its authentic and everything" she said

"With the signature of Lebron James" Sam said nearly about to cry

"There are benefits to having a sports medicine doctor who is hugely popular in that world" Addison smiled "Do you like it?" she asked before Sam quickly pulled her into a hug

"Our son is going to look so sharp in this" Sam said as he kept admiring the jersey

"Jerseys are unisex, so our daughter will look as hot as her mother with it on" Addison replied not letting him get the gender preference by her

"You know you didn't have to do this, right? I mean by you wearing that jersey your fully committing yourself to watching games with me" Sam said

"Which ones?" Addison asked "I don't think I can watch games after work, but I could do one on Sunday" she said trying to compromise

"Addison" Sam replied

"Okay, okay…I'll be your sports watching buddy. What about Amelia? She watches them with you" Addison said

"But nothing beats your very own woman watching a game with you, it adds to the sex appeal" Sam said

"Sex appeal?" Addison asked

"Yes. I'm finding you extremely sexy with that jersey that I think you should just start wearing that to bed every night" Sam suggested

"And that's where you've hit delusional" Addison said as she took a seat on the sofa while Sam flopped down beside her before he pulled her towards him

"I wear the work clothes for you during our role play, the least you could do is wear the jersey" Sam joked "In fact you have an advantage because you always see me in them" he said

"Only game days. That's the deal, besides I have no idea who this Wade guy is anyways" Addison said as Sam turned on the game

"He's number three. They call him flash or d-wade" Sam said as he rested his head up against hers

"D-wade for Dwayne Wade, that's a clever play on words" Addison laughed

"Yes, its very clever" Sam laughed at her finding it odd that she found it so funny

"Some of these basketball players are very hott" Addison commented

"Rule number one, we don't comment on how hott a player is" Sam stated

"Oh, there's rules now. You just made that up" Addison replied

"Because I'm not going to comment on any of these guys and if I think they're hot" Sam replied

"You'd be secure in your sexuality if you did" Addison teased

"And defeating the purpose of the basketball watching" Sam said

"Marcus mentioned something about March Crazieness or something like that…do I have to watch that as well?" Addison asked

"March Madness, and yes" Sam replied "You need to learn this, our kid is going to grow up on sports and needs to know their mother understand it" he said

"So when I want you to come along while I shop, you'll embrace it?" Addison asked

"Do you really want to come along with you as you shop?" Sam turned to ask her as she took a moment to think

"Okay that's a valid point, no I don't. Why do the referees blow the whistle so much?" Addison asked

"Because the Lakers are playing, that's the only way they can win" Sam replied

"So whoever gets the whistle blown more than that's who wins? I thought it had to do with the score?" Addison asked him

"It does have to with the score, but usually fouls play into it" Sam said

"And fouls would be?" Addison asked as he just threw his head back on the sofa realizing that he was signing up for more than he bargained for "C'mon buddy, you have to answer the question. Our child needs their mother to understand" she laughed

"Fouls are when a player does something to disrupt another player from making a shot or stops them from creating a play as opposed to defending the offensive attack" Sam explained as throughout the game he would explain certain things to her until she just eventually fell asleep on his shoulder "I love my gift" he whispered to her before he kissed the top of her head and turned his attention back to the game

* * *

Grabbing a soda out of the fridge, Marcus looked over at the clock to see that it was well past midnight before he headed back into the living room to finish up the rest of the basketball game. Usually he would have drifted off to sleep by now but he didn't feel comfortable going to sleep until he knew that Amelia had made it in. Luckily he had started to feel more at ease with being at Amelia's place that even though she wasn't here, he felt at home like this was his place as well. Getting comfortable on the sofa, Marcus found himself laying on the sofa to where he might go to sleep as he did his best to concentrate on the game because he knew this was going to be a huge subject to talk about at work tomorrow with Sam and the guys, but he was finding it hard to stay awake but his protests were managing to keep him in the race. Hearing Amelia's car pull up in the driveway, he quickly sat up and tried to clean up the mess he had made so that it seemed that he was considerate of. Making her way inside the house she quickly tossed her keys onto the counter then her purse before she made a quick detour to her liqor cabinet while Marcus just looked at her with confusion. Putting the game on mute he got up from his seat to make his way over towards her but she just quickly pushed away from his embrace to make her way into the kitchen

"Don't" Amelia replied as she just wanted the alcohol to linger "Don't comfort me or observe me" she declared as he just looked on at her. Staring at her intently he just took a moment to see that she was just trying to process everything in her head, but she just looked like she was losing her mind

"So who was he?" Marcus asked as he leaned up against the fridge while she just looked on at him with shock "If I were you, I would have done the same thing. I mean I did do the same thing back when…" he said before she cut him off

"When you were having sex" Amelia replied "I'm well aware of what you use to do" she sighed

"Random or someone I know?" Marcus asked

"Random" Amelia replied not knowing how he was going to take it "Your so damn frustrating!" she then said becoming irritated before she just poured her drink down the drain knowing that her being drunk wasn't going to help. Running her fingers through her hair as she just began to pace the floor all Marcus could do was hang his head "I would have done it, before you…I would have" she said

"I'm glad you didn't, but I would have understood" Marcus replied as she just laughed to herself

"No, you wouldn't have. You would have felt betrayed and hurt" Amelia said

"And this from the girl who use to not give a crap about what people thought" Marcus smiled as he caressed her chin "We're a lot more a like than you think" he told her

"We're really not. You have a addiction to sex, and I need sex…I need sex from you" Amelia said

"You think you need it, that's all a mind thing" Marcus replied as Amelia just shook her head as she pushed his hand to the side so he wouldn't distract her with his looks

"I need it" Amelia replied "Its not a mind thing, it's a horny thing. Before I met you I had a lot of sex, sex with people that I barely even knew and with the same person because they were amazingly good" she said

"So what stopped you tonight then?" Marcus asked

"Haven't you been listening. You. Your what stopped me" Amelia declared as a moment of silence came between them "The guy kissed me and we were halfway to his car before I thought of your dumbass ipod play list" she said

"My play list? That's what made you think of me" Marcus asked her as he was becoming more intrigued with the story "Did the guy give a corny pick up line? They usually do at bars" he then asked

"Your missing the point, we're clearly involved and you have this whole addiction thing and I almost cheated on you or saw someone else….what the hell are we?" Amelia said becoming frustrated by the minute as all he could do was smile at her

"I knew you didn't do anything as soon as you walked through that door, I had a thought that you might but I knew as soon as I saw your face that you didn't" Marcus told her as he just smiled at her thinking how hot she looked while she was frustrated "And I like to think you're my girlfriend" he said

"How do you know that? I mean I was well on my way to hooking up with this guy" Amelia said

"Because I told you since we first met that your going to like me" Marcus said looking her dead in the eyes

"I need sex though. I may not be addicted to it, but sex is…I'm really good at it" Amelia said

"All right, I can give into the fact that you need it" Marcus said as he pulled her towards her "I know this isn't easy for you, and I apologize if it feels like I'm being weird around you because of my addiction" he said beginning to play with her hands

"I'm really gonna hate myself for saying this because this is just the typical girl thing to say, but maybe I'm not the right person for you, with you recovering and all. Tonight could easily happen tomorrow night or the night after that, and I just don't do relationships…I'm a free spirit, always have been" Amelia replied before he just looked at her "Say something!" she declared before he leaned in to kiss her gently and tenderly that once he broke the kiss that she felt like he took her breath away with just one kiss

"You really think you know it all Sheperd" Marcus said before he flashed his signature grin before he broke his embrace of her and headed over to the closet

"I'm honest. I don't filter when I'm at home" Amelia said as she began to wonder what he was looking for in the closet as he seemed intent on finding something "What are you doing?" she asked before he pulled out a best buy bag and handed it to her

"I got you a Wii game console" Marcus said as she pulled the box out

"You know I was lying when I told you I wanted one, right?" Amelia told him "And even if I did want it, what is this suppose to accomplish?" she asked as he just moved in closer towards so that he could grab her free hand

"Games bring people closer together. I know your fiercely competitive at the hospital, and I guess I want to know how you are at home. Then I'm also wondering what type of celebration dance you do when I let you win" Marcus smiled at her

"Let me win, your pretty high on yourself" Amelia laughed "I didn't know you'd be this cocky" she then said

"There's a lot I want you to know about me, including my flaws…that's if you stick around to see them" Marcus said as he looked her in the eyes causing her knees to go weak "Sooner or later I'm gonna have to start letting myself live my life, I can't fear life and mistakes because its all a part of growing. Am I ready to have sex? not yet but I'm going to be. I think sex was a way of you feeling desired and wanted, which is natural…and I know that I haven't been doing that" Marcus said

"I understand, its temptation and I don't want to mess you up" Amelia replied just as Marcus said before he pulled her into another intoxicating kiss "We're gonna have to compromise, but I think we can get creative when it comes to building on the attraction" he said as he broke the kiss

"You do know that was our third kiss, right?" Amelia asked as she just laughed

"You've been counting?" Marcus asked her as he laughed while all she could do was give him a look like what else was I suppose to do "I've been stingy in that department but I plan to kiss you a lot more" Marcus laughed as he kissed her forehead

"With this whole creative thing, does that mean we have to get to know each other better?" Amelia asked as Marcus grabbed the box and began to hook the console up to the television

"Basically" Marcus smiled as he lead her over to the living room area as he began to turn the tv so he could see the plugs on the back of the tv while Amelia took out the game console to go through the instructions

"But we don't do that very well, getting to know people" Amelia said

"We'll probably suck at it" Marcus laughed

"That's encouraging to hear" Amelia said sarcastically "I don't think we're a normal couple. Sam and Addison are long time friends who fell in love with each other as they spent more time together, that's a good love story not that I'm saying we're a love story and all. But we're two recovering addicts, engaging in a relationship…it just sounds bad" she said

"Good. I hate normal. We can just define our relationship the way we want it, screw normal" Marcus said as she handed him the plugs for the console so that it could hook up to the television

"I'd be a crappy girlfriend because I don't do emotions or remembering things to well" Amelia said

"Good, because I was a crappy husband and I think I could suck at being a boyfriend" Marcus laughed as he turned the television back to its normal position before he walked over towards her to grab the controllers

"How are you on filtering?" Amelia asked after she took a moment to think


	12. Old and New

Chapter Twelve- Old and New

Scrambling around the kitchen trying to prepare Sam's birthday breakfast, Addison found herself racing against time knowing that he'd be up soon. Originally she had the idea to cook the breakfast but then she knew that it would only lead to something bad if he ate her cooking, so she went out to pick up his favorite from the corner bakery down the street. Making sure the presentation on the plate was up to her standards, she looked over the plate once more before she finally gave it the seal of approval and grabbed the tray to put it on. Overcome with excitement she hoped that this would make him excited about his birthday seeing as he had only spoke bad about his birthdays ever since she's known him. Heading up the stares she just knew that he would be surprised by this gesture, slowly backing into the bedroom she turned around slowly with excitement to see that he wasn't in bed. Placing the tray down on the bed, Addison walked over to see a note was on the pillow that was apparently written for her.

"I knew you'd pull something. I snuck out, see you at the office" Addison read to herself as she couldn't believe that he was that clever to sneak out. Leaning over the bed, she grabbed her cell phone and began to dial his number as she made her way back downstairs "I can't believe you" she said once he picked up the phone

"Let me guess, you got me food from the corner bakery and got up super early to surprise me. I bet the presentation looked good, when it met your expectations, you came up to surprise me" Sam said as he looked over his patients charts

"Basically" Addison hated to admit that he knew her so well

"Did you get all excited when you got close to the door?" Sam asked with a bit of laughter in his tone

"Yes, I was excited. Now I'm just going to eat the muffin, which is fine because I was going to eat it regardless" Addison replied "Why do you hate your birthday so much?" she asked

"Because it's a reminder of how old I am, and I don't want to be old. I want to be young at heart" Sam said

"Is this like prologue into a mid life crisis. I think the Captain had one of these, he had many of these…oh, no, they were just affairs" Addison said

"Its not a mid life crisis. I just don't want to celebrate a number, I want to spend time getting young again" Sam said

"How do you plan on doing that?" Addison asked

"I'm playing in basketball tournament. Marcus is playing in one for charity, he asked but I was never able to get back to him…" Sam said before Addison cut him off

"Alzheimer's kicking in" Addison guessed

"No. So that's my get young present to myself, playing ball with the guys" Sam told her

"You do know that these guys are much younger than you, right? I mean Marcus is barely even thirty" Addison said

"I'm still young" Sam replied "Forever young, just like the song. Now I would love to chit chat some more, but I've got to get ready for surgery" he told her "Oh, and I cancelled the clown that you had coming to my office" he said as Addison just dropped her mouth in amazement out how well he knew her

"Sam!" Addison said "You can't do that!" she declared

"I love you" Sam said before he hung up the phone. Hanging up the phone, Addison looked on at the phone in frustration trying to figure out what was his deal with birthdays and how she could break him of it.

* * *

Stepping off the elevator, Amelia could feel the instant vibration of her cell phone up against her hip as she walked. Letting out a groan she didn't have to guess who it was calling her because she had spent most of her morning tending the over protective mother of a girl, who her parents claim to have a brain tumor, which wasn't the case after all six scans they ran throughout her time at the hospital. Parents weren't necessary her specialty because with them there was a certain sensitivity that you had to have and when it came to sensitive subjects. She had been become the poster child for the word filter around the practice, and she so desperately tried but it didn't mean that she didn't get annoyed. Heading into her office she pulled her cell phone out to see that she got a text from Addison to remind her that Sam's birthday was today and to wish him a happy birthday, along with another text that said they might have to take drastic measures with him…that text left her puzzled as to what she meant but she would have to come back to that thought later on. Breathing a sigh of relief as she took a seat in her chair, she looked over her desk before she finally just leaned forward and began to pull up her skype on her computer. A part of her had no idea why she felt so impelled to do so, and maybe he wasn't even on his computer seeing as he was working…but she just wanted to try just to see if he was available.

"Hey gorgeous" Marcus said when he appeared on her screen

"Are you in your hotel room still?" Amelia asked him as she observed the background of where he was

"I sure am" Marcus replied as he took his lap top to show her around the room using his webcam that was built in on his lap top "This is my bed, where I entertain my company" he joked

"I'm sure. How was she last night?" Amelia laughed as she leaned back in her chair

"Oh, it made me realize what I was missing. I learned a new position for us to try" Marcus teased

"We must try it. I'm always game for learning new things" Amelia said "Has it been all work and no play?" she asked

"I filmed my segments earlier. I'm going on Inside the League tonight, so that will be hell of fun" Marcus replied

"Inside the League. I can't say that I watch that show, now if your talking Inside the NBA then I could follow what your spewing right now" Amelia said

"We're not that big time but we get the same game access, which means box seats" Marcus smiled "Sam sent me a text saying that he couldn't wait to ball with me" he laughed as he held his cell phone up to the camera

"Ball? Now I think I understand what Addie was talking about. She text me saying that drastic measures will be needed for Sam" Amelia replied as Marcus just laughed

"Meaning that he's probably trying to avoid his aging process. Only makes sense with the random word play of trying to be hip" Marcus said "Are you guys going to do anything special tonight?" he asked

"Probably something along the lines of something drastic from Addie's point of view" Amelia said "Will you? Do anything special tonight?" she asked not wanting to sound like the insecure girlfriend

"Just watching sports" Marcus replied "Why? You miss me?" he asked her with a slight grin on his face knowing that she just might be missing him

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm a little too busy to miss you, I'm just really glad that I don't have to share a bed with you for the next two nights, your snoring was beginning to become annoying. Then don't even get me started on how you eat everything…" Amelia complained before he interrupted her

"Okay, okay. I get the point. Your glad to have me gone" Marcus laughed "But if you have the need to put someone else in the bed beside you, could you do me one favor?" he asked her

"And what would that be?" Amelia smiled as she asked

"Please make sure they don't use my shower gel. The stuff is expensive, and I don't want just anyone using it" Marcus joked

"My sexcapades never include showers…it's a wam bam thank you ma'am sort of deal. To appease you, I won't even offer them anything to drink or bathroom privileges" Amelia continued on with the joke

"That's considerate of you" Marcus replied as his agent entered the hotel room along with a few of the guys they were hanging out with over the weekend

"I see you have company. I'll let you go" Amelia said as she observed the guys in the back round completely taking over his room

"All right. Will you be free tonight to skype?" Marcus asked

"I thought you were going out?" Amelia asked

"Yes, but I need to keep an eye on my spot in the bed" Marcus teased

"You think you're the only one who'll be out tonight…" Amelia said trying to hype up what she planned to do this evening before he cut her off

"Uh, Sam's birthday party next door is hardly a party" Marcus joked

"Shut up" Amelia replied

"I just hope you don't miss me too much" Marcus told her as the guys in the back began to mock him "Everyone, this is Sheperd" he introduced her as he held up his lap top so that the web camera could show all of his friends in the back round that were waving to her

"Hey Doc Hollywood's girl" The guys teased as they waved to her while Amelia couldn't help but laugh

* * *

Looking around at the guests that had managed to come to the party, Addison was glad to see such a good turn out had come to the birthday party she had thrown for him. Most of everyone from the practice came along with a few people from the hospital came out to celebrate Sam's birthday. All through out the day, Sam had done all he could to avoid any birthday talk, which she was hoping would wane down once he saw how much time she put in to making it a special occasion for him, but for the life of her she just couldn't understand why is birthday made him such a Debbie downer. He did his best to enjoy himself just for her because he knew this meant a lot to her but still she could tell that if he had a choice between watching a game with a six pack of beer sitting next to him, he'd choose that option. Noticing that he was nowhere to be found amongst the group of people, she had began to realize that he had snuck off, just as Amelia and Charlotte made their way over towards her.

"Where is the birthday boy?" Amelia asked

"That's what I'd like to know" Addison said as she scanned the room once more

"Maybe Cooper and Pete took him off for shots or something" Charlotte suggested

"We have alcohol" Addison said "You guys specifically requested for the alcohol, which is frightening seeing as we're doctors" she said

"Its not frightening, its relaxing" Amelia said before she toasted her glass towards Addison before taking a sip

"Where is Marcus?" Addison asked her

"Don't do that, you know where he is. You just want me to go off on some babbling trip about him" Amelia said

"So I guess the rumors are true around the hospital. When did this occur?" Charlotte asked

"Its been occurring Charlotte. The even more amazing thing is that she actually likes him back" Addison said

"I really don't want to talk about my relationship… I want to talk about Sam" Amelia replied becoming a bit nervous with all the relationship talk

"I'm sure you don't but privacy is not something we do. Does he know about tomorrow?" Charlotte asked as Amelia felt a twinge of sadness for some odd reason

"He comes in Monday afternoon, so I didn't see the point in telling him about tomorrow. Plus its really not that big of a deal" Amelia shrugged "You see we pride ourselves on the anti-couple, we don't do the typical things that are expected" she said

"Anti- relationship sounds like an imitation of a relationship" Addison said "Besides I think he'd want to support you regardless of your anti status" she said

"Oh, stop! You make me sound like some needy girl that wants her boyfriend to be by her side for every little thing. Just because I'm in an anti-relationship doesn't mean that I'm going to change…I don't filter, he gets pure honesty. I could like him now and be threw with him next week because in an anti-relationship that whole need to keep things civil doesn't exist with us" Amelia said "So I'll be perfectly fine tomorrow" she declared

"Aw, look at her. Dodging relationship questions" Addison teased "I'm trying to think of what therapist babble speak Sheldon would use for this whole anti-relationship title" she said

"Marcus isn't bad on the eyes though, I've had a few nurses request him specifically when it comes to surgeries" Charlotte said

"This isn't helping" Amelia replied

"Last time I checked the nurses were flipping coins for services that were a month ahead" Addison joked

"And this is the part where I leave" Amelia said before she made a quick exit from the conversation while Addison and Charlotte just laughed at her

"Congratulations on the baby" Charlotte told Addison "I know how much you've wanted one, and its…congrats is all" she said making it clear she wasn't good with the happy emotions

"Thank you Charlotte. That means a lot to me" Addison beamed with happiness

"And I've reached my happy quota. I need another cosmo" Charlotte said before she made her way over to the bar as Addison just laughed in confusion. Once again she scanned the room hoping that she would find Sam, but as she walked through the crowd and out onto the patio of her house she soon began to realize that he truly had left the party. Feeling the vibration of her phone ringing in her pocket, Addison pulled it out to see that it was Sam calling her.

"You better have a damn good reason as to why you left this party" Addison asked as she answered the phone

"I need your help" Sam groaned in pain sending Addison in a panic

* * *

**[The song is this section is Colbie Caillait "Feelings Show"]**

Tossing her keys onto the counter as she entered the house, she had pretty much chalked up her supposed fun filled evening as a complete shambles. The birthday boy had gone missing during his own party, which was kind of good for her seeing as she didn't show up with a present. Amelia was more than prepared to use the excuse of that Marcus hooked him up with the jersey so that was her gift to him as well. Sitting at the kitchen counter she contemplated what she should do with the rest of her evening. Beginning to twiddle her fingers she was slowly realizing that all her options weren't really the best options or options that she felt like getting ready for, she'd considered consider hanging with Addie until Sam came back but she didn't quite know how that was going to go down when he would return. Would they have an argument or would they have birthday sex? She questioned and if there was sex involved she definitely didn't want to know that they were having it. Although she had accepted that she was somewhat considering herself on a no sex policy for the time being, in order for her to survive she had to think no one else around her was having sex. Most of the time it was working for her, but there had been occasions where everyone and anyone looked like horny teenagers to her and all she wished for was that she'd soon be getting in on the action sooner rather than later. Looking over at the fridge, Amelia noticed a note written on the fridge that she hadn't noticed over the past couple of hours. Making her way over to grab the note she quickly realized that it was a note that Marcus had left for her.

_You told meYou'd wait here patiently_

_butI wonder if he's kidding_

_Well maybe he could be serious now_

_Maybe not,Maybe not_

_Because'Love is crazy_

_Pretty babyTake it real slow_

_My feelings show_

_All you have to do_

_Is never ever let it go_

_My feelings show_

_And I want you to know_

"Girls have a tendency to hate to be away from me, so I thought the same might happen to you" Amelia read as she couldn't help but roll her eyes at his cockyness "I know at this point you've rolled your eyes at how cocky I am, which is all right because I basically am" she then read finding it shocking how well he was beginning to know her to guess correctly that she did roll her eyes "Go to the drawer by the microwave to find the next note" she read before she did as instructed by him. Pulling the drawer out she found exactly what he had promised waiting for her along with his ipod. She couldn't help but laugh at this moment because he actually remembered the fact that she was impressed with his play list on his ipod since their first night together. Putting the earbuds in her ear she began to play the very list that he left for to listen to.

_I'm sorry it's taking me so long_

_To find out what I'm feeling_

_I wonder if it will come to me_

_Maybe not, Maybe not_

_Because'Love is crazy_

_Pretty baby, Take it real slow_

_My feelings show_

_All you have to do Is never ever let it go_

_My feelings show_

_And I want you to know_

_My feelings show_

_I want you to know_

Realizing that she had come to the final song of the play list, she felt a bit saddened to know that the music had finally stopped and she came back to reality. She still had nothing to do she thought to herself before she was quickly caught off guard by his voice coming through the earbuds. Taking the ear buds out for a moment to check and see if it was really coming from the ear pieces or if he had secretly come back while she wasn't looking… or in the past moments, while she was dancing. Putting them back in her ear she grabbed a seat on top of the kitchen counter as she listened on to his instructions to fire up the Wii system. As usual he started off with his usual cocky manner that used to make her gag but she had slowly found a bit funny from time to time or a call for a competitive spirit if they were at the hospital, but since she was home it was funny to hear him speak so highly of himself. Deep down she knew that he wasn't cocky but that was his way of keeping the opposite feelings they had about each other in the beginning still relevant in what they had become now. Turning on the system, she learned that he had set a high score on the tennis game that he had loved so much, and like the competitor he was he had challenged her to top it. Amelia was never one for video games until they started playing, but even then he always had to coerce her into playing until she just finally realized that it was something that was going to become their thing. Doing a couple of stretches before she started the game, she knew this would be awhile seeing as she wasn't as athletically inclined like he was in this game.

_What I'm trying to say is that_

_I'm feeling a change _

_andI'll let it take all over_

_If you need time away_

_I won't ask you to stay_

_But I don't want to lose you_

_Love is crazy, Pretty baby_

_Take it real slow_

_My feelings show_

_All you have to do_

_Is never ever let it go_

_My feelings show_

_Love is crazy,Pretty baby_

_Take it real slow_

_My feelings show_

_All you have to do_

_Is never ever let it go_

_My feelings show_

_And I want you to know_

_My feelings show_

After what felt like two hours worth of playing, Amelia had began to realize that she was just never going to beat his score. A couple of times she had gotten close to his score but she just couldn't figure out how to beat his score for the life of her. Heading over to turn the game off so that she could head up to bed, she noticed a piece of paper taped to the back of the tv and it was no surprise who it was from but the more she got these notes the more she thought when did he have the time to do all of this. Grabbing the note the she laughed to herself as he swore to challenge the score when he returned since he was sure she had put it on the beginners level in his absence. A quick smile came to her face as he ended the note with a simple goodnight that even through ink felt so sweet and sincere. Nearly feeling like an idiot, she hated that in this moment he had her blushing over some stupid notes…this wasn't like her and she didn't want it to be or at least that what she kept telling herself. Looking around the darkened house that was only illuminated by the light posts from outside, she made her way upstairs. Disrobing on her way up she couldn't stop the idea that she had as this would be her secret and her secret alone as to what she was about to do. Once she got to the bedroom, she put her hair up in a messy bun before she made her way into the bathroom to start the shower. Heading back out into the bedroom she quickly sifted through his drawer that he had secretly began to start without her knowing, but one fateful morning when she was looking for underwear she noticed that he had his own drawer going on. Grabbing one of his white shirts out that was a bit baggy on her, she head back inside the bathroom to grab the shower gel that he raved about as she headed into the shower. Lathering her body up with his favorite shower gel it was if he was here with her, it felt just like the mornings in which she'd smell the aroma of his shower gel scent all the way to the bed. Once she was finished she quickly dried herself off before she put on his shirt and headed off to get into bed. Getting comfortable in the bed she knew she'd think less of herself in the morning but for now it just made her feel like she had done something this evening, she spent it hanging out with him she smiled to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Pulling the car up next to his car, Addison shook her head in disbelief that he could be that dead set on his celebrating his birthday that he would sneak off to the basketball court. She knew he was on this whole kick of playing in the charity basketball game to prove that he was still young but now she just thought he was taking it to the extreme. Gripping on tight to her jacket as the cold night air was beginning to catch up to her, she made her way over towards the basketball courts to see him laying on the floor of the court. Usually she would be scared out of her mind with this sight but since she had made him tell her what was wrong with her so that her panic meter would be adjusted just right, the only thing that had caused him to be sprawled out on the ground was the fact that his back had gone out on him. Standing above him, she just looked down at him finding it a bit funny how his facial expressions that showed he was in agony only looked like he was constipated. Extending his hand towards her, Addison quickly slapped it down as she was finding this sight a bit amusing and a bit of payback for him skipping out on her party for him.

"Are you going to help me up?" Sam asked her as he winced through the pain

"Nope. I'm enjoying this sight all too much. So much so that I want our daughter to see this" Addison said as she pulled her cell phone out and took a picture of him laying helplessly on the ground "The day daddy realized he was old" she titled it on her phone

"Your being mean" Sam grunted as he tried to move before Addison sat on him making sure to adjust herself so that she was comfortable "Help?" he asked

"I always did like being on the top" Addison teased

"Now is not the time for sexual innuedos" Sam said trying to breath through the pain

"Since you've abandoned my party…your pretty much going to have to suffer through what I've got planned for you" Addison said "So lets start with the juicy stuff, what's with the whole you not wanting to be old?" she asked

"C'mon I don't want to talk about this. Can you please just help me up?" Sam asked once again

"There's no fun in that" Addison said "But don't distract…start talking" she said

"Addison!" Sam declared

"Oh, my God. I think… it's the baby" Addison said as she caressed her stomach while Sam looked up at her with worry all over his face

"What's wrong?" Sam asked as he was scared out of his mind that his stupidness could have caused something to happen to the baby "Are you all right?" he asked nervously

"I think the baby…" Addison said in between gasps

"The baby what? What?" Sam continued to ask

"I think the baby wants you to stop acting like a baby and spit it out all ready" Addison said showing him that she was only faking it

"Don't joke like that" Sam said not finding it the least bit amusing

"Look I'm sorry that I joked like that but I just want to know what's going on with you. I've been hoping that over the past few days that if I made your birthday special enough that you would come to embrace it, but when you took off…that hurt a little" Addison told him

"It wasn't anything against you. I just couldn't be there. All the Happy Birthday's and the jokes about being old…its all a bit much now" Sam sighed

"But its what your suppose to do on someone's birthday" Addison replied

"But I just hate mine. Its always been the whole stigmatism behind it that I just feel I never live up to. The older you get the wiser you get or another year of measurement" Sam said

"And you just feel like your birthday solidifies your crappy life or something? Okay, maybe I shouldn't know why you hate your birthdays" Addison said feeling a bit saddened of what he might mean

"No, it has nothing to do with you. I just feel like each year I do something that messes up the goal, the goal of being happy in my life. I'm divorced, I have a teenage daughter who is a mother, and I've come in between your relationship with Naomi" Sam said

"I didn't know you even thought about that" Addison said "I thought those were things we were getting past, things that we had to overcome" she said

"It is, but its all mashed up into the year of measurement" Sam said

"Since we're using this whole year of measurement as our tag line. I think I should be able to add some stuff into your year of measurement" Addison said "In the span of a year you've managed to return to being the kick ass cardio surgeon that I know you are, you've managed to be more of a brother to Amelia than Derek has, you've managed to raise a daughter that has unlimited potential not only as a student but as a mother, and you've managed to be there for me when I've needed you most. I think that's a pretty good year of measurement for you" she told him

"Your saying that because you have to" Sam said

"I'm saying it because it's the truth….and because your pretty hot naked" Addison teased at the end

"So what do you think the next year of measurement will be for me? You know since your keen on improving my birthdays" Sam said

"You'll have a beautiful baby girl, a sexy girlfriend, and you'll still be a great guy" Addison said "So please, look at the postives of your birthday rather than being a Debby downer" she joked as he couldn't help but laugh

"Aw, my back" Sam groaned as he began to wince in pain due to the laughter

"This really is classic" Addison laughed "You screwed your back up on your birthday. You really are getting old" she laughed

"I will get you back" Sam replied as did his best to remain still not wanting to aggravate his injury even more so

"Funny that you say back, seeing as yours is out of commission" Addison laughed as she leaned down to give him a kiss. He wanted so much to enjoy the feel of her lips against his like he always had but the pain was just too much

"Addison" Sam said in between kisses

"Okay, okay. Lets get you up" Addison said as she got up off of him to help him up from the floor "Next year we've got to make a better Birthday than this" she groaned as she rested his arm around her shoulder and helped him back over towards the car

* * *

Nervously shaking her leg, Amelia listened on to the rest of the group stories about them overcoming their addiction. Observing the group of people that had gone before her she was soon realizing that she would be coming up soon, and expected to say something about her overcoming the addiction. Some of the people that had spoke, she had known from a while back when she had first come to admit that she was addicted to pain killers, but ever since she had decided to make Los Angeles her home she had come to make new friends in the meetings. Her heart raced at a thousand miles per hours as she rose to get up and speak about how she had turned her life around and that her addiction would never be who she was and that she was the only one that could define that. The more she spoke the more she began to realize that she was becoming comfortable in her own skin at that her mistakes hadn't defined her like she had used to think. Everyone knew she wasn't big on speeches, but the fact that she said such powerful words that really made others think so it was no surprise that she got a standing ovation. Heading back to her seat she glanced over at the family and friends section to see that Marcus was sitting amongst the rest of the family and friends that had come to support. Looking at him to see if he was for real or just a figment of her imagination, he winked at her and just flashed the smile that she had grown to fall for more and more each time. After the final step celebration was completed, Amelia wasted no time searching for him as she made her way out to the parking lot. Looking around she couldn't find him at first but it was until she saw him sitting on the hood of her car that she quickly ran over to him.

"Hey" Marcus smiled as she wrapped up in a hug

"What are you doing here? I thought you were coming back tomorrow?" Amelia asked as she pulled back to look at him

"I remembered you telling me about you reaching your final step, and how they throw a celebration. I called your group leader the day before I left, did all my stuff early so I could get back early to be here" Marcus smiled

"I can't believe you actually paid attention to what I told you" Amelia laughed

"I pay attention, I just don't pay attention when it comes to the cereal" Marcus said before he leaned in to kiss her "You made me proud in there, with the whole addiction doesn't define you" he laughed once he broke the kiss "Then I remembered that I heard that line on a movie we watched the other day" he said before she hit him on the arm

* * *

Sitting amongst the crowd in the bleachers, Addison and Amelia waited anxiously for the game to get underway so that they could spend their days elsewhere rather than being in a basketball gym. Sifting through her bag of popcorn hoping that it would calm so of the queasiness that she had going on this morning, they had spent most of the morning trying to get Sam ready to play since he tweaked his back but since he was deadest on playing she wanted to help him fulfill his wish. A part of her thought that he had taught her so much about basketball because he wanted her to be aware of what he was doing on the court since she hadn't seen him play all too much. Amelia on the other hand hadn't really seen Marcus play, in fact she just thought him playing sports was a pick up line that he liked to use, but she had to admit that she was glad he was back. She would never admit that she missed him, but she was more than thrilled that he was back because she had missed their banter…that was the only thing she missed. Realizing that her popcorn was soon dwindling away, Addison began to think of what was the best route to get another bag of popcorn until she saw both of the teams run out onto the floor for their warm-ups. The crowded reacted strongly to Marcus as he ran out onto the court definitely looking the part of a skilled athlete, which only seemed to make Amelia a bit taken aback by how popular she was. Looking on at Sam to see that he was responding well to the pain in his back, a sense of relief came over Addison before she felt the vibration of her phone up against her just before she pulled her cell phone out to see that it was Dr. Gomez calling her. Nervously thinking about as to why he she could be calling her, Addison didn't know what to do as she contemplated answering the phone before Amelia nudged her on the leg.

"Are you okay?" Amelia asked

"The doctor is calling me" Addison said nervously before she took a deep breath and answered the phone. Running out of his lay up, Sam ran over towards the rebounding line as he was getting mentally pumped up for the game. Looking up in the stands he noticed a worried look on Addison's face as she was on the phone. Getting in line, Sam kept looking up at the stands hoping to read Addison's face but found it harder to do so while he down on the court and she was up in the stands. Making his way out of line he slowly walked over to the bench completely forgetting everything that he was supposed to be doing while Marcus trailed behind him.

"What's wrong?" Marcus asked Sam nearly out of breath after he had finished his lay ups

"I don't know" Sam said not turning his attention away from Addison. She kept nodding her head as if she was trying to understand or make sense of something, and all he kept wishing was that he knew what was going on.

"Hey, if you need to go then go. Sam, just go be with her" Marcus said noticing Addison's look as well before Amelia turned to give the guys a look like its not what you think "Maybe its not what we think" he then told him as Addison ended the call with tears welling up in her eyes

"I'm going up" Sam said as he climbed the first bleacher nearly putting more strain on his back before Addison stood up and wiped away the tears but didn't want Sam to get alarmed by her

"No, no, no. I'm fine" Addison told him as he came up to her wincing in pain

"What's going on?" Marcus mouthed to Amelia as she tried to access the situation for herself

"Then why are you crying?" Sam asked her "It's fine. We don't need to be here, I shouldn't have even made you come because I knew you were sick this morning. Whatever it is…its my fault and we'll fix it" he babbled as Addison tried to shut him up

"Sam, its not your fault. Nothing is your fault because its not what you think. Though I'm a little pissed with you" Addison said as she cracked a smile

"Why? What did?…what's going on?" Sam asked feeling even more scared by the minute

"I'm pissed because you were right" Addison smiled "I kind of went behind your back and wanted to find out the very detail we keep throwing back in each others faces. Well I got my answer from the doctor" she said

"Dr. Gomez?" Sam asked a bit confused by what she was talking about

"Okay, guys. I think you might want to wrap this up because I think we're holding up the game here" Amelia told them

"I don't care" Sam replied "What are you trying to tell me?" he asked

"You were right" Addison said as she began to laugh while all she could do was shake her head "We're having a boy" she told him before his face lit up with happiness

"What? Really?" Sam said trying to process it all "We're going to have a baby?" he kept asking happily as Sam turned to look at the guys of his basketball team and the crowd that was looking at them "I was right!" he declared

"Sam" Addison said trying to quiet him down but he pulled away too quick

"I was right!" Sam declared once again "I'm having a baby boy! I'm having a boy!" he declared as the crowd began to clap happily for him "I was right! Addison Montgomery was wrong, and Sam Bennet was right! I'm having a boy, a little Sammy!" he boasted as all Addison could do was laugh

"Little Sammy, why did I just get an image of that sight" Amelia laughed

"Get use to it because I'm having a boy" Sam said before he leaned in to give Addison a quick kiss "Now I'm going to play some ball so my little boy can see how you do it on the courts" he said rubbing her stomach before he pranced down the stairs

"You know he's going to rub this in your face, right?" Amelia told her

"Yeah, I know" Addison replied

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading this chapter, I hope you liked it as it has taken me quite some time to complete. I swear when I sit at my computer I get easily distracted with everything around me, if you notice the italics lyrics are from a Colbie Caillat song called "Feelings Show", I was listening to the song as I was writing so I just decided to use it because Amelia's feelings are beginning to show for Marcus. I appreciate all the feedback, especially after the episode that will not be named, it was nice to have the feedback on what you guys thought about the episode along with chapter so I have to ask...how are we feeling about Naomi's character now that we've had a chance to cool down a bit? **


	13. Something to Talk About

Chapter Thirteen- Something to Talk About

Being a doctor had its perks but it also left a lot of strain on the body because you never quite on a full rest mode due to pages at any time of the night. They both had come to a point in their careers where they were able to realize that they needed some personal time in their careers so they had to out of access from certain hours just to maintain. Since they've been together, they realized even more so for their relationship that they had to cut back a little on their surgeries and if it was a true emergency they could go beyond the set time they wanted to get home. But it was also rare that they actually went out of the house since they were pretty much homebodies, and for the most part that's how they wanted but there were those rare nights they were itching to get out and see things other than paint samples and baby furniture catalogs that she insisted had to be looked over from front to back with much detail. Josh Hines, a classmate of theirs back in Columbia and his wife, were in town and called them up to get together, which gave them a perfect excuse to get out of them out of the house. Back in medical school they were both very much with their class, seeing as they were all basically competing for the same positions but it was rare that they each formed a bond so the friends that they did make they tried to keep in contact with. After finishing up dinner, they all sat and talked over dessert, which was a big request from Addison.

"Wow! So Sam stole you away from Derek. I don't know whether to be happy due to the fact that it was Shepperd or just really be happy" Josh teased as it was a known fact that Josh and Derek were very competitive with each other when they were all going to school, so it was no surprised that he was thrilled with the news.

"Of course you would Josh" Addison said as it didn't even cause her to tear away from her cookie and ice cream

"Well I think we all know how we feel about Shepperd" Josh stated

"We know, you say it every chance you get" Tammy, his wife sighed as Sam and Addison laughed

"So he's caught you up on all things Derek?" Sam asked him

"Has he ever. I think when we first met he asked did I know three things: Derek, Shepperd, or Derek Shepperd" Tammy teased her husband

"That sounds like you" Addison laughed "He came to the wedding and at the reception he pulled me aside and said its not to late to run" she recalled

"And I swear by it, I saw you really contemplate it" Josh laughed

"She's all ready said the 'I do' though. I mean your pretty much locked in" Sam said

"No your not. You still have chance to run. You see, if you run after the wedding its like it all became overwhelming but the day after…that's when your being rude" Josh reasoned

"And for that fact alone is why you are in Pediatrics" Addison replied to his statement

"That's really comforting to know as his wife" Tammy teased "So how far along are you Addie?" she asked

"I'm going on five months. I think I'm beginning to show a little, which is killing me because I'm dreading the day where I won't be able to see my feet" Addison laughed

"She wears so many shoes that its honestly becoming an issue for her. I always tell her that she just wear two shoes and not all these closet full of shoes that you have to have at one point then toss to back a month later" Sam said

"Exactly, Tam is the same way" Josh agreed

"That's such a guy perspective. You two only wear like one pair of shoes, I have to literally beg Sam to buy shoes" Addison replied "The only shoes he'll be are basketball shoes for when he plays" she said turning to look at the grinning Sam

"Because you always have to switch up the court shoes" Sam said

"As do we" Tammy replied

"I have to say that I always knew this was going to happen. I knew you two were going to get together back in med school, I even told Sam back then. I quote on quote told him that you should try to hook up with Montgomery but what does he end up doing…he gets with Naomi, the best friend" Josh said "I bet that got messy for you two, didn't it?" he asked as they both became a bit uncomfortable with the shift in conversation

"And I think this is the part where you've stuck your foot in your mouth" Tammy told her husband

"I know these two. It may have been Derek, Mark, Addie, Sam, and Naomi but I was invited in after they realized my potential" Josh said

"Because you saw all and knew all" Addison replied

"I just knew" Josh said "How is Nae?" he then asked

"She's good. She moved to New York to be with Maya and the baby" Sam replied

"But in all realness, I'm very happy for the both of you and the most important thing is that your happy…happiness isn't always a thing that is guaranteed so where ever you find it, you've got to go for it" Josh told them which made Addison feel a bit at ease that at least one of their friends truly understood that Sam and her loved each other

"Thank you, that means a lot coming from you" Addison smiled at her friend

"Now that we've got that out the way. Have you guys decided on the important things with the boy, emphasis on the boy, I might add" Josh teased Addison as it was clear that Sam informed him on the bet

"You two are sickening" Tammy laughed "I for one was cheering for a girl" she told Addison

"As was I" Addison replied

"We've got everything down. We're prepared, and over prepared…all the important stuff is taken care" Sam said

"So the disciplinarian, I can totally see that as Sam" Josh said

"Disciplinarian? Our child isn't going to be some wild animal" Addison replied

"I think he means how we plan to give structure to our son" Sam said

"I know what he meant, and I think implementing a healthy level of communication between our son will prevent the so called disciplinarian actions" Addison said

"Such as what?" Josh asked a bit intrigued as to what she was referring to

"The whole whooping thing. It won't be necessary" Addison said as Sam couldn't help but laugh which caused her to look over in his direction "Do you disagree?" she asked

"I think to expect a healthy communication in the sense of discussing right from wrong is a bit much…I think that a whooping shouldn't be the first resort, but it's a good form of discipline when the child gets older" Sam replied

"Yes, if our son was acting like a savage. Sam, whooping a child is like beating a child" Addison replied

"How is that beating a child? If you hit a child with force then that beating…" Sam said before Addison cut him off

"And that's what a whooping is" Addison replied

"No, you can tell a difference between a whooping and beating a child" Sam said

"It's the same in my eyes" Addison said

"I do agree" Tammy replied

"Look, I was whooped as a child and I learned due to a whooping" Sam said

"Oh, really? I'm surprised your mother didn't let the hands of God touch you" Addison said sarcastically

"Okay, low blow and I just don't think the timeout method is effective" Sam said

"Josh, you've gotten quiet…what's your stance?" Addison asked

"I'm with Sam. I mean I was whooped as a child and I learned all I needed to know that what was right was right and what was wrong was wrong" Josh replied hesitantly not wanting to get in between the argument

"So if he messes up your just going to whoop him?" Addison asked Sam

"Due to the severity of how he messes up. Addison you act like I'm going to just beat our kid, the point of whooping a child is to show that what they are doing is wrong…nothing else, its not beating a child. I do believe warnings should be given before taking that step but if the kid continually does the repeated action then you have to do something other than sit them in a comfy chair" Sam replied

"Wow! This evening has truly been informative" Addison said in disbelief by his answer

* * *

After a long night of surgeries all Amelia wanted to do was sleep in and just take her sweet time going into work today because for the past couple of days she felt as if she was running on a thousand mile per hour without even slowing down. Her night of sleep hadn't gone off to such a great start since Marcus's on and off snoring throughout kept her up most of the night, so she went back and forth from the sofa downstairs to the bed hoping that he would stop snoring but it just seem to come back. There were points in the middle of the night where she seriously thought of smothering him in her sleep, she literally entertained the though to the point where she was trying to decide where to hide the body at but luckily her focus was mostly on trying to get some sleep so she would have to deal with him later. Gripping on tight to the pillow, she was holding on to her sleep with all her might but Marcus made it hard to as it was painfully obvious when he was up in the morning because he'd move so that it would move her as well since they slept so close together, then he'd sing in the shower and hum when he shaved, he'd forcefully close the drawers as he was getting dressed, then when he was downstairs he would talk loudly on the phone. The talking loudly on the phone wasn't really such a bad thing for her because at least she always knew what he was up to, which was comforting to know seeing as he was desirable to every girl in this town so it helped to know his where abouts. Finally realizing that she wasn't going to be able to get her sleep, she grumpily got up from the bed and made her way downstairs to see him talking on the phone while eating a bowl of cereal.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow" Marcus said as he was ending the phone call while Amelia made her way into the kitchen only to see that it was a complete mess "Good morning" he said as he got up to give her a kiss on her neck before placing the bowl in the sink along with the other dirty dishes

"You do know that the dishes are starting to have this whole leaning tower thing going on, right?" Amelia turned to ask him

"Which is why I try to balance it. The trick is to hit the edge of the dish so when you put it on top of another it won't fall" Marcus replied as he went into the fridge to grab a powerade

"Or the trick could be to wash them. You know that tends to be the usual problem solver" Amelia said

"I know, but I didn't want to put that all on you. I mean you were tired last night so I figured you'd get around to it" Marcus said

"I'd get around to it?" Amelia asked

"Yeah, I mean…and I'm noticing the look which is saying that I should end the comment I was about to make. I'll wash the dishes today, it will be taken care of" Marcus said slowly realizing that Amelia was not in the mood to joke around about the dishes

"Did you pick up coffee?" Amelia asked as she went through the cabinets in search of the coffee mixture "You said you were going to pick some up after work" she said before she turned to look at him as she leaned up against the counter

"I forgot" Marcus said as all she did was sigh "I'm sorry. I will add that to the list of things that I will do" he said

"Do you not pay attention to me when I tell you things?" Amelia asked him

"I do, I just lost track of time yesterday after work" Marcus said

"And yet I always manage up your powerades that you request, which is a big thing for me because I don't pick up stuff for other people" Amelia said as he moved closer towards her

"I know, and I will make you proud by writing down all the stuff you want" Marcus said

"So like a grocery list?" Amelia asked

"No, not like a grocery list. That sounds like stuff a married couple do" Marcus said

"But for a guy that frequents my house a lot, it sounds about right" Amelia said

"I don't frequent" Marcus replied

"You have worked your way up to two drawers, don't think I didn't notice that you moved my underwear to the other side of the room" Amelia said

"Okay I frequent but because your house is closer than mine" Marcus said

"Well I don't care if you frequent or not, but just please get what I ask today" Amelia said

"Okay. I can give you something that you request frequently" Marcus smiled as he pulled her towards him as she tried to resist his lips

"No" Amelia laughed "You were annoying last night" she said dodging his lips

"And I'm sorry" Marcus laughed before he was finally able to capture her lips once again

"If you really want to make it up to me then you'll wash these dishes" Amelia said as she broke the kiss while he just began to fidget at the prospect of washing dishes before work.

"Did you hear that?" Marcus asked as he rubbed his side trying to find his cell phone as she stood back and looked at him, not buying what he was saying "Yeah, its my cell phone. I think this is the practice calling me" he said as he slowly began to back peddle towards the door

"Your such a liar" Amelia laughed "You better do what you say you will do" she told him as he grabbed his jacket and quickly walked over towards her and gave her another quick kiss

"I promise you I will. It's a done deal, I guarantee it" Marcus said as he left the house glad that he dodged a situation.

* * *

Humming a joyful song of relief, Sam was glad that he had finished up the last of his surgeries for the day and could spend the rest of his day at the practice doing regular check ups. At this point all he wanted to do was hurry back to the practice so he could catch up with Addison for lunch. Last night they had a minor disagreement over the child disciplinarian issue while they were out at dinner with their friend, on their way home Addison hadn't said much, which was unlike her because she was usually talkative on the car ride. He didn't want to think too much about if she was mad because he just hoped it'd be an issue that they could get past and hopefully in the future realize that it wasn't that big of a deal in the first place. In the morning they were still somewhat okay as she had let it go, but he could still see that it was bugging her. He hated that it was an issue between them but one of things he always wanted to have with Addison was honesty. Honesty was the key in their relationship and he didn't want it to start effecting them now. Stepping off the elevator, he quickly went over to his office to drop off some of the files he had before he made his way over to Addison's office. Taking a seat at his usual spot, he looked on unsure as to what he should say as Addison looked over a few of her charts. Sam had finally gotten ready to say something to her but was quickly torn away from his thought when Marcus made his way into her office.

"Finished up looking over her medical charts, she's all yours" Marcus said as he dropped off the files on to her desk before he made his way over towards the chair to take a seat "Do you know your office is the only comfortable one" he pointed out

"I have been told that" Addison replied as she looked over the chart he had just brought in "So are her parents on board?" she asked as she leaned back in her chair

"The parents are thinking stats, but the girl wants to have the baby. It's a sad situation all the way around with the parents being all money hungry" Marcus sighed

"Money will do that to you" Addison replied "Are we doing lunch?" she turned to ask Sam

"Yeah, just waiting for you" Sam replied

"Lunch sounds great. Breakfast would have been good but we have a dirty dish problem going on" Marcus replied as he began to massage his head

"You know the great solution to dirty dishes? To wash them" Sam joked

"Yes, I'm well aware of that but I don't really do the cleaning thing" Marcus said

"Didn't you have chores growing up where you had to wash dishes or so something of the magnitude of cleaning?" Sam asked

"My mom always did that. I was always too busy trying to impress my dad in sports, so when I came home the only thing I had to do was eat, do homework, and sleep" Marcus told them

"Let me guess, you have a cleaning lady at your place?…so you cleaning would defeat the purpose all together" Addison asked

"My mother was a housewife…what was I suppose to do" Marcus replied as he just laid his head back on the sofa getting even more comfortable in his seat "How did your whole parenting class search go?" he then brought up which causes Sam to become more intrigued by what he had said while Addison's eyes just bulged out at the reveal

"What parenting class?" Sam asked as Marcus looked from Addison to Sam only realizing that he had just revealed something that he shouldn't have

"And I think this is the part where I have to go" Marcus said as he slowly rose from his seat

"No, no. Please stay. I have a question for you" Addison said to Marcus

"No, I think we should talk" Sam replied

"Okay…" Marcus said getting ready to go before Addison got up from her chair

"Did you get whooped as a child?" Addison quickly blurted out as Marcus just looked like a deer in headlights

"Uh…what does this have to do with anything?" Marcus asked a little confused by where the question was coming from

"Its nothing. You can go" Sam said as he just shook his head in disbelief that she was even asking this question to one of their colleagues

"No, its important for me to know. I would like to know if you were whooped?" Addison asked

"I…occasionally I got whooped. Not a lot though" Marcus said "Why do you ask?" he asked them

"Because Addison doesn't believe in whooping, she believes in a healthy communication slash the timeout chair" Sam replied as Addison turned to look at him "It's what you've been upset about this whole time" he said

"I'm upset because…you know what? I'm not even going to get into this with you because I've clearly heard your point of view on things, which is why I have set up an appointment to see a parenting counselor" Addison said as she made her way back to her desk

"They have parenting counselors?" Sam asked

"It's L.A., they have everything here" Marcus replied

"Why? What is the point to seeing a counselor? We can clearly agree to disagree because not everyone is going to agree on the same things…it's the struggles of parenthood" Sam replied

"Struggles of parenthood is deciding if he should go to bed at eight or eight thirty, struggles of parenthood is deciding if he should bring a jacket to school or not…those are struggles of parenthood" Addison replied

"How are those struggles?" Sam asked

"Okay, I think I should go" Marcus said as he slowly began to tip toe out of the office

"Stay!" Addison and Sam both demanded as he just stood confused in the doorway feeling like he was watching his parents argue

"Sam, we're going to this counseling session. This is a topic that I'm not dropping…and it really concerns me that we're not agreeing on something so important to me" Addison said as she began to get emotional. Looking on at Addison become all teary eyed, Sam began to crumble a bit and just wanted to appease her instead of frustrate her further that what she all ready was "I know I'm making this a big deal…but I would really like to know if we should whoop our kid or communicate…is it wrong to want to talk to our kid…or do we just beat him to a bloody pulp" she said in between tears as both Sam and Marcus tended to her

"I think you should just go to the counseling session" Marcus whispered to Sam as they both consoled Addison

"Will you?" Addison asked Sam

"Yes. Yes, we will go to the counseling session" Sam agreed and as soon as he gave his answer, Addison acted as if she was perfectly fine making it clear that she had duped the both of them

"I can't believe…" Sam said as he realized he was played

"Yeah, good luck with the counselor. Can I go now?" Marcus asked as he looked over at a smiling Addison, who sat proudly behind her desk

"That'll be all" Addison smiled as she leaned back in her chair before he patted Sam on the back in comfort for what he was going through before he left the office

"You can't keep doing that, because you see when you pretend like your all in pain or just basically use your pregnancy against me…it's an unfair advantage. It's fighting dirty to be exact" Sam told her

"It's called the advantages of being a woman" Addison said as she got up from her chair with her files in hand before she moved towards him "This is what you signed up for…" she said so seductively moving in closer so that their faces were a mere centimeter away from each other "Right?…I mean you can handle me, right?" she asked as she began to run her hand up and down his chest "All I want from you is to have an open mind…you know like I'll have an open mind to the things you want to do" she whispered in his ear knowing that at this point she had him in her grasp

"All right. All right. Let's go to this counselor" Sam agreed try to control himself

"Thank you" Addison said as she motioned to kiss him but turned her attention towards her watch "Will you look at the time, I've got to go to my next appointment. I'll see you tonight" she said before she quickly made her way out of the office leaving Sam behind to wonder just what happened

"She did it again!" Sam said in disbelief that he allowed himself to get played again

* * *

More than thrilled to almost be at Sheperd's place, Marcus was over joyed to finally turn on the street that would take him to his final destination. Throughout the day Marcus had received calls from his agent to see if he wanted to head out to a Lakers game where they would sit courtside, but the only comforts he sought were maybe a couple rounds of Wii and some pizza instead of sitting courtside with the media lurking all around. Most people found it to be weird that a doctor had an agent, he from time to time found it to be weird but with clients that he had it gave him some sort of fame through association, its how he became Doc Hollywood as most liked to label him. Pulling into the driveway he found it a bit odd that his stuff was bagged up on the porch. Quickly getting out the car he nearly ran inside the house with his stuff in hand to find Amelia playing Wii in the living room. Looking back and forth in disbelief, Marcus tried to wrap his mind around the fact that his stuff is bagged up and outside, while she's in the living room playing video games.

"Uh, did a organized robbery happen or something? Because why are my clothes in bags?" Marcus asked while Amelia just kept on playing "Shepperd! Shepperd!" he called out as she just continued on playing until he finally walked in front of the television

"Oh, hey. How was your day?" Amelia asked as she put the remote control down to head inside the kitchen to grab a bottle of water

"Great until I saw my clothes in bags. What is this?" Marcus asked as he followed behind her

"That, my friend, is your traveling bag" Amelia said

"Okay, why do I have a traveling bag? I mean I had a drawer in which these clothes were nicely tucked away in" Marcus said

"And I had a clean house before you nicely without noticing moved in to it" Amelia replied

"Wait, this is about the dishes?" Marcus asked laughing in disbelief

"I asked you to get me powerades and clean up your mess, what was the deadline?" Amelia asked

"When I come in" Marcus replied

"And look, your in, and in your hand….nothing" Amelia said

"Look I will go up to the store and get your…get your" Marcus said trying to remember what it was that she wanted in the first place

"Coffee. I wanted you to pick up coffee. Then I text you saying could you pick up bread, cereal, and a pizza because its your turn to buy the pizza…but as per usual you don't get them" Amelia said

"All of which I can get now" Marcus replied

"Oh, you bet your ass you will" Amelia replied

"Okay, so fine. We've got it all worked out…so now, I can put my stuff back in the drawer" Marcus said

"No, no, no. I like you, I like you a lot and I think by us doing the whole living together thing is going to ruin the whole fantasy of you for me. I couldn't stand you when I first met you, and then you got hott, but now your annoying me because you can't clean up for the life of you" Amelia said

"So am I getting kicked out?" Marcus asked

"Precisely" Amelia smiled as Marcus observed her closely to see if she was messing around with him but then again he saw the bags of clothes he had only realizing that she may not be

"Does this have to do with the sex thing?" Marcus then brought up which made Amelia laughed

"I'm not breaking up with you, and it has nothing to do with the sex thing…I've substituted my need for sex into a need for a nice clean house. I'm not the fifties housewife, who diligently cleans up the man's mess…if he's messy then he needs to go is my philosophy, hence the bags" Amelia said

"At this point I really wish it would be the sex thing" Marcus sighed "But what am I suppose to do…" he began to ask before she cut him off

"I picked up a teddy bear for you to cuddle with" Amelia quickly answered

"So this is real. Your kicking me out…I mean who's going to protect you? You live by the ocean and…" Marcus said before Amelia just laughed at his reasoning "A shark could come and get you" he then said

"I'm in a house, a shark is in the water that happens to be a few hundred feet away from so called house. So I highly doubt a shark is going to jump out of the ocean and get me, the night you move out" Amelia said

"I'm a very valuable asset to this house, you know it and your going to miss having a nice pair of strong arms around. I was like built in lips for you" Marcus said trying to find something that would work "You know lips as in mouth, not any other….you know what I meant" he clarified

"Your as valuable as the dust that my tv collects in this house" Amelia joked as she took a seat on top of the kitchen counter

"I'm not joking. Once I leave, I will not under any circumstances be forced to come back" Marcus said as she just continued to laugh

"I'll miss you" Amelia replied

"That's fine. I'm going to be just fine, I'm a bachelor anyways, who has a great condo apartment with an amazing view of the city…" Marcus said trying to act like he didn't care

"That's the spirit" Amelia encouraged him "From your whole city view, you should wave to me as I stay in my nice clean house" she said hugging herself knowing that her jokes were getting to him "I just hope you'll hope you remember me as you live in your whole bachelor pad, and if we must part due to your bachelor ways catching up to you…know that it was fun, but I still prefer a clean house" she laughed

* * *

Sitting nervously in the counselors office, Sam couldn't stop himself from shaking his foot as he didn't know what to expect when it came to anything anymore. He knew he wasn't the greatest of parents and that his record would show that easily, seeing as his teenage daughter was a teen mom…but the whole not knowing what to expect was really getting to him. Addison sat beside him with her legs crossed in her usual seductive way, while she just flipped through a Health Today magazine as if she knew she was right about all of this. He's sweating bullets and she's smelling like roses compared to how he felt he smelled like. Observing the office he felt as if it went far beyond any regular counselors office that he had ever seen, it felt so robotic of some sort with the boring wall paper and hi tech furniture…everything just seemed to be getting to him and there was no way of stopping it as he just sat there. Just as his nerves were getting the best of him, the counselor had come out and called them back to his office. Walking the halls he just played with his hands trying to prepare himself before entering his office to take yet another seat.

"Okay, Sam and Addison Bennet. I'm " Dr. Hillmen introduced himself

"Oh, no. We're not married. We're together, but not married" Sam corrected

"Yes, he's the father of my child and we've been together for more than a year now. We're the very modern couple" Addison added

"Yeah, we do things ass backwards like the rest of them" Sam laughed nervously realizing that he shouldn't have said that

"Okay. So what brings your asses here?" Dr. Hillmen asked

"Can you really say that to us? You know the ass thing?" Sam asked as he undid his button on his dress coat

"I want to provide a stable environment for you two, so opening up will be easy for you. I figured since you cursed that I would in return curse so that you will feel at ease. How do you feel if your child were to curse?" Dr. Hillmen asked catching Sam off guard with the question

"No, we don't want cursing" Addison quickly replied "We want our son to have manners and not use the language that consists of today" she said

"I agree. I mean I don't think cursing is the best language" Sam replied

"So the issue is the disciplining? that's what brings you here" Dr. Hillmen asked

"Yes, we have to realize that we differ on how we should discipline. Sam opts for whooping and I think…I think that's the newest form of child abuse" Addison said as Sam just chuckled to himself

"And that's funny to you?" Dr. Hillmen asked noticing the little smirk

"No, I just think she's over exaggerating on the new form of child abuse. I was whooped as a child and I didn't have some sort of physiological breakdown from it" Sam said

"Of course you didn't because your mother probably blasted the sound of God into you when you were about to get a psychotic break" Addison muttered

"My mother is Christian woman who would have used Moses staff to whoop my…" Sam was about to say

"What does being Christian have to do with it?" Addison asked

"I was simply using your reference of her faith as an example that her beliefs never topped her discipline" Sam said "Now your mother on the other hand" he said

"Even if Bizzy was a mother she wouldn't have whooped me" Addison replied "But yet I still turned…I turned out" she said

"As did I" Sam replied as Dr. Hillmen just jotted down notes not caring to stop their bickering with each other as they clearly had no idea that he was writing this stuff down

"Do you really have to throw Bizzy in this?" Addison asked

"You put my mom in it, so its only fair" Sam replied "The only reason why we're here is because I didn't agree with your method of parenting, so if I stand up to you then I'm all of sudden wrong" he said

"That's absurd, I just think that topic is a big issue that clearly we both feel strongly about" Addison said

"A topic that we have even encountered yet" Sam said before Addison looked over at Dr. Hillmen to see that he was writing stuff down

"Great, now you both made us look like whack jobs" Addison sighed as she crossed her arms in her chair

"No, no. You both have valid points of what your trying to tell each other, but I think there is an underlying message in what your trying to tell each other" Dr. Hillmen said

"What do you mean?" Addison asked

"Well your both talking about an issue that is very much something you will have to address, but not quite so soon as Sam stated" Dr. Hillmen said as Sam smiled proudly to himself "And Sam it appears that you come across as narrow minded" he then said as Addison laughed to herself

"This is exactly what I was talking about" Addison replied

"You said that about me?" Sam asked

"Her exact words were that your narrow minded at times" Dr. Hillmen said as Sam just looked at him with confusion

"Look I just simply stated my opinion because as a child I was whooped, and when my mom threatened to get the belt I knew she meant business. It was like this physiological thing where when I was presented with making a decision I knew right from wrong, I knew what the consequences were if I did wrong" Sam said "I'm not the greatest parent in the world, I admit to that, but what I draw from as a parent is how I was raised" he said

"And I don't think you're a horrible parent, I never thought that. I just would like for us to be able to talk about stuff without one of us being right or wrong about things. When our child does something wrong, I want them to embrace the fact that they messed up and learn from it…not fear messing up because everyone is going to mess up, we still mess up as adults" Addison turned to tell him

"Addison, would you be a first time parent? With this child?" Dr. Hillmen asked

"Yes. This is my little miracle baby" Addison smiled as Sam grabbed ahold of her hand

"So maybe your so anxious to plan out your child's future due to your excitement. Its perfectly normal to want to have the world planned out for our children because we feel we have control when we do that, but we forget that sometimes things don't go as planned on the path. I noticed that when you spoke that I got the impression that your all ready placing your child under the column of perfection, why is that?" Dr. Hillmen asked

"Because I think we all want our kids to be perfect. I mean no one want there child to be duplicates of themselves, we want our children to be better than us" Addison said

"And if you teach him what is right in your mind or what has been told to you that is right, you think it will make your child perfect?" Dr. Hillmen said

"I think that we've both been far from perfect, actually very flawed to say the least…so I think we both want our child to be better in the sense that we don't want them to deal with the things we've had to deal with individually" Sam said

"And you can't protect your child from that. You have to raise a child to the best of your abilities, and to a capacity that is comfortable to you. Preaching beliefs that you yourself don't believe in will only lead to slip up. No one is perfect nor will ever be, so use your flaws as teaching points and not as cautionary tales" Dr. Hillmen said

"What do you mean by that?" Addison asked

"Teach implies that you allow the person to learn and mess up, but the ultimate goal is to learn. Caution implies enter knowing that this and this can go wrong and could very well stay wrong. I encourage most parents that come in here to teach as opposed to caution because we ourselves are still learning to be good" Dr. Hillmen said "You two aren't off to a bad start nor are you going to be on a bad path. You've just had some things happen to yourselfs that lead you to fear as opposed to just moving past it all together. Sam, you may not be a perfect father, but you're a father none the less and to be a father requires more than just being there. Addison, you want to plan out the future but the things you'll learn is that sometimes the unexpected things can be good and makes you stronger" he said "Just love your child, that will guide you to what is right and wrong" he then stated

* * *

Placing his patients chart at the end of the bed, Marcus looked back to see that since receiving the medication she was finally able to rest. As he left the room, he turned out the lights and headed over to the nurses station to put in the special instructions he had written down for his patient. Filling out some of the small details he had left to put down, Amelia walked up with a smile from ear to ear, while he barely could even manage a smile. It had been two whole days since he had been removed from her house and she was looking like a beauty queen while he was barely surviving. Even though they were still together as boyfriend and girlfriend, he just felt as if they had broken up in the ways that mattered or meant so much to him. When they did hang out it was usually drinks down at the bar or food in the cafeteria but nothing that would get them in the awkward position of wanting to head back to the others house in fear of the overnight.

"Hey, was that your last patient?" Amelia asked as she finished up writing in her patients chart

"Yeah, things are looking good for the patient" Marcus smiled "The patient I had with Addison, she delivered a healthy baby girl…that she gave up for adoption due to the fact that hitting a ball was more important than stepping up to take care of a kid" he said

"If she wasn't ready to have a child then I think she made the best possible choice for her kid. I mean I don't like everything my patients do, but the best thing was the outcome of what happened to the child" Amelia told him

"I guess. It's just…it comes with the gig" Marcus said as a moment of silence came between them "I got tickets to a Dodgers game, do you want to go? We could do dinner and get something from that bakery" he suggested

"I can't. I'm going out with friends for a drink, they're sort of doing a pass through trip to Vegas" Amelia said "You should take Sam or even Cooper for that matter?" she then suggested

"I was kind of hoping that we would go. I was kind of missing you" Marcus replied

"What happened to your bachelor pad?" Amelia asked

"Oh, its still kickin' but its not the same" Marcus replied

"Is the teddy bear not enough?" Amelia teased him

"The teddy bear suffices at times, it can't seem to stay in the position I want it" Marcus joked "Not a good conversation starter either" he added as she just laughed

"We'll do dinner tomorrow, I promise" Amelia said before she handed over her charts to the nurse before she grabbed at her key card "I have to go. I'm running a little late" she said "Will you call me tonight?" she then asked

"Oh, I fully intend to. Have a great time tonight" Marcus said before he leaned in to give her a quick kiss just as Charlotte had made her way up towards the nurses station to witness the exchange.

"All right. I'll see you" Amelia said after breaking the kiss then turned to leave as all Marcus could do was watch her leave like a love sick puppy. Charlotte laughed to herself as it was painfully obvious how Doctor Hollywood felt about the once wild Little Shepperd.

"I'll tell ya, that Galveston Clinic is becoming a pain in my ass" Charlotte sighed

"Galveston Clinic, haven't heard great stories about the place" Marcus said as he just could manage to tear his view away from watching Amelia

"What'd you do?" Charlotte asked as she began to notice where his attention was

"Why do you think I did something?" Marcus asked as he turned to look at her

"Because when a man looks like a love sick puppy dog, then he did something or is extremely whipped? Take your pick on which one" Charlotte asked

"I'm not whipped first of all. We're sort of not living together anymore" Marcus said

"How are you sort of not living together anymore?" Charlotte asked a little confused

"Because she kicked me out. Something about the claim of me being messy" Marcus muttered as Charlotte just laughed

"You're a slob. I never would have pegged you for that" Charlotte replied "But good for her, kicking you out and all when you don't fall in line" she laughed

"How is that good for her? We're suppose to be dating" Marcus said

"Dating, but she's not suppose to clean up behind you. She's not your mother" Charlotte said

"Believe me, she's not my mother. I don't clean, I haven't cleaned a day in my life so how am I suppose to know that I'm suppose to clean up behind myself when its always been done for me" Marcus said

"That's a load of bs and you know it. You don't have to get classes in cleaning in order to do it. You make a mess, you clean it up" Charlotte said "Do you care about her?" she asked

"Yes, I care" Marcus replied

"Then care enough to help her out. You stay and you eat at her place then you need to care enough to give her place the same care as she gives it. You should feel lucky that there's a woman out there that will tell you to get off you butt and clean as opposed the women who want you just for your celebrity. Women have come to far to have to take care of a grown man, who is fully capable of getting off his but to clean up" Charlotte said "You've got a solution, now implement it" she said before she handed over the charts to the nurse

"Are you always this mean?" Marcus asked feeling a little bit scared

"I tell the truth, you don't like how I deliver it then that's tough" Charlotte said before she walked off down the hall

* * *

Like clock work he had gotten up early for his morning run to sort of clear his head and to maintain his fitness regiment, there had been occasions when Addison would tag along but today she was eager to sleep in. After his run was over he had to admit that he was glad he got that over with seeing as his eating habits had gone back to bad since Amelia and Marcus were frequent pizza eaters and with Addison's hormones, she was craving anything and everything she could get her hands on. Making his way inside the house he heard an eery silence that made him a bit paranoid because Addison would always be doing something. Heading up the stairs towards the bedroom with much cation, passing Olivia's room he could hear pages being turned from within. Looking through the crack of the door he saw Addison sitting on the floor with her baby catalogue before she got up to look at the paint samples they had collected. A slight smile came to his face as the sunlight had graced her beautiful features that he didn't quite pay attention to as much as he did the others. She was always a looker when she dressed to impress, but her real beauty came when she thought she was all alone…to herself, just as natural as could be.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked as he made his way inside

"I'm trying to figure out what color to give the little guy" Addison smiled

"Blue. It's the manly color for guys these days" Sam teased

"I want something more unique than blue. I mean it's a good color, but I just want to keep our options open" Addison replied but then tried to refrain from sounding like she didn't care about his opinion

"It's okay. I'm not going to be mad about a color, I know how much this means to you" Sam said

"And I know how much this means to you" Addison replied

"So then why are we being difficult with each other. Why go see a counselor to tell us things we should all ready know when it comes to each other?" Sam asked as he pulled her towards him

"I don't know. We were both being stubborn about what we believed in" Addison laughed

"Yes, stubborn is a good word…narrow minded, not so much" Sam laughed "I'm sorry for making you feel like your opinion doesn't matter to me" he said

"And I'm sorry about being paranoid, controlling, stubborn, and an overall bitch" Addison said

"Hey, your not a bitch. I would never think that about you, nor would I ever say that" Sam replied "I think we're just getting away from the fun of it all. Before we were trying to make the baby, then now we're trying to make the babies life" he laughed

"Yeah, I know. Maybe we can come to a truce though" Addison suggested "I promise to make an effort about the things that are important to you when it comes to our son" she said

"And I promise to make an effort when it comes to things that are important to you" Sam answered

"See we're all ready doing good at this co-parenting thing" Addison laughed

"An A for effort all the way" Sam said as he took his hand in hers

"And we were good in school. I hope he will be, too….but if he's not then that's perfectly fine" Addison said

"I hope he's good at sports….but if he's not then I'll be somewhat okay with it" Sam replied as Addison just hit him on the arm "Okay, okay. I'll be fine with it" he laughed

"I finished up all of Bizzy's diaries, and I have to say that it just helped me understand my mother and how she was never truly herself when it came to growing up. I guess I just wanted to be as nurturing as possible to our son so that he could talk to me about anything and never feel like he had to hide anything in fear of it being wrong. I didn't want to duplicate the example my mother gave me" Addison said as Sam pulled her into a hug

"And you won't. We're not going to be our parents, we're just going to be us" Sam told her "Besides if I were my mother then you'd have to leave your heathen ways behind" he joked

"This would be deemed a Christian household" Addison laughed

"Gospel Sundays. The Lord would wake us up with his words" Sam laughed as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss

"You do know that this was like our first official fight" Addison said "Of the span of us being together, this was our first fight" she said

"I hardly doubt this was our first fight" Sam replied not buying her statement "I mean I hate to dredge up bad memories but…" he said before Addison put her finger up to his mouth

"This is our first fight, and do you know what we do after our first fight?" Addison asked as Sam was slowly realizing what she meant

"Oh….yeah, I hate that this was our first fight" Sam eventually agreed before he slowly walked out of the room "I'll get the whip cream…" he said turning to head down the stairs as she followed behind

"I'll get the strawberries and the straw" Addison laughed as they made their way into the kitchen rummaging around for anything and everything they could find

"Grab the cheese" Sam instructed as Addison looked at him with much confusion

"Cheese?" Addison asked

"Dairy is good for you, if you know what I mean" Sam replied as Addison quickly grabbed the cheese to go with her pile of stuff before they both eventually headed back upstairs

* * *

After seeing Sam come in from his run, Amelia had got the inspiration to take a quick run this morning before she would call Marcus. Going about her now cleaned house like it was nothing, without having to clean up behind him like she had gotten use to…Amelia began to feel a twinge of sadness as she sort of missed having Marcus around. Even though they were still very much together, she missed how they used to be with each other when they sort of lived together. They hadn't got to the point where they said they lived each other so they just said that they sort of lived together. She knew at first that they started sleeping with each other after he revealed his addiction, it was a way for them to be intimate without truly being intimate…but from then on it was like they were suppose to be with each other and sleep in the same bed together. It started off as her being his safety net but in a small way he was becoming hers. Just as she was getting her play list ready to listen to for her run, she quickly heard the sound of a lawn mower going from outside. Opening the door she was a bit surprised to see Marcus, half naked pushing the lawn mower.

"What are you doing?" Amelia went over to ask as he powered down the lawn mower while she looked on at the sweat that trickling down his bare chest "Not that I'm complaining all too much" she said to herself as he walked over towards her, making sure to take the earbuds out of his ear

"The grass needed to be cut, so I was going to finish up with it. Then the porch light needs to be replaced so I got up early and got one that I think will work" Marcus said as he walked over to his car to grab the bag of light bulbs he got to fix it

"Your cutting grass and changing lights…what is all this? I can't get you to clean a dish now your cutting grass" Amelia laughed

"I got the message. Took a blunt southern woman to help me get to the point, but I got the point" Marcus said

"Aw, so Charlotte gave her input" Amelia laughed "How long is this going to last? I mean I'm loving the visual but is this going to be something I'll see a lot?" she asked

"That's the plan. I'll do whatever needs to be done. Wash dishes, vacuum, stop snoring…whatever needs to be done. I plan to be a partner in this, ninety percent" Marcus said

"Ninety percent?" Amelia asked

"Well I have to leave the ten percent to keep my good looks" Marcus laughed

"You need ten percent to deflate that ego of yours" Amelia replied "So Charlotte was the only reason you decided to man up?" she asked

"That and I was tired of cuddling with a teddy bear…that in itself was not manly whatsoever, and the fact that I missed you and appreciate you" Marcus said

"So basically I was right?" Amelia teased

"I didn't say that. I said I missed you and appreciated you" Marcus laughed

"Which translates to you were wrong" Amelia said

"If I say I was wrong, will that get me access back into the house?" Marcus asked

"Maybe, depends on how well you cut my grass" Amelia laughed

"Okay. What about access back into the bed?" Marcus smiled as he knew he was pushing his luck

"That's a maybe as well" Amelia replied before she pulled him into a kiss

"All right. I'll impress you" Marcus laughed as he broke the kiss "I got to finish this up, but we will discuss" he said before he walked back over to his lawn mower. A smile weighed heavily on her face as she just found herself happy when she was with him. She couldn't explain what he did to her but she was glad that he was one of the few that actually wanted to make a relationship work. They both weren't perfect at being in relationships, but with him she felt like as long as she was herself then she could believe in the happily ever afters and all that dumb stuff she saw on television. Getting lost in the sight of him, Amelia was soon torn away from her view by her cell phone ringing.

"Hello" Amelia answered

"What is going on over there?" Addison asked nearly out of breath

"What is going on over there? I hear things breaking" Amelia said

"We're redecorating" Addison said as she tried to stop Sam from nibbling on her ear

"Yeah, right" Amelia said sarcastically as she knew that was a lie "Doc Hollywood is cutting the grass" she said

"What? I thought you knew that Sam has the gardener come over every two weeks, right?" Addison asked

"I do" Amelia replied

"Then why is he cutting when its going to get cut in four days" Addison said

"Because I'm enjoying the view" Amelia smiled "I haven't had sex in quite some times, so looking at him half naked with sweat trickling down his abs…it's the closest I'm getting, and I intend to watch" she laughed

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading the chapter, it took awhile because I never seem to have time to sit down and write straight threw...so now I do bullet points of the stuff I want to cover, so I write a bullet point then do something else. So if you see a bullet point just know its from my new method of writing called remember this. I appreciate all the feedback and even the couple nickname I got for Marcus and Amelia, Amelius...I thought that was cute when I read the reviews. That made my day, I was like Amelius has fans. I didn't want to make this fanfic solely about Addisam because I do love them but I also love Amelia, so I wanted her to have a storyline since she never has one on the show. **

**Also I just want to encourage you guys who just like Addisam in general that what's going on the show is not, in my belief, true to the characters. I think Addison and Sam haven't been written well as characters at all this season. I was probably amongst the few that were a little dissappointed by this weeks promo, but I got over it because its just bad writing...plain and simple. So for those who might fall off the bandwagon just know that its the writers job to create and bring the characters to life...with that is a lot of memorization as to what the character has presented thus far and to just change a character with no build up is bad writing and lazy. I'm all for drama but don't throw it at me, let me see it coming that way I can say 'oh, the drama' not 'what the hell' there's a big difference in the reactions. I will always think Shonda is brilliant for her writing on Grey's because I'm an aspiring tv writer, but her writing for Private Practice is something I don't desire nor care to implement...tell the story not some heightened drama crap that comes out of left field. Sorry for the rant but once again thank you for reading, and if you have any thoughts about where Addisam are at right now in terms of the direction please write me, I love hearing other people's thoughts. **


	14. Wonderwall PrtOne

Chapter Fourteen- Wonderwall Prt. One

There was never time off for doctors, they liked to believe they had time off but when it came to life and death of one of their patients, they were always on the clock. Laying nestled in Sam's embrace, Addison was sound asleep after what took like hours worth of talking and flipping through pointless television channels just to get to sleep. Earlier that day they had gone to their regular check up to see that everything was progressing well in her pregnancy, and she was now officially five months along. Running her hands along the outline of his arm, Addison just liked being in the comforts of his arms…that in general made her rest well. Before she could truly drift off into a deep slumber, Addison's cell phone began to vibrate on the nightstand by her bedside. Breaking free of his embrace, she slowly sat up in the bed to see who it was that was calling her. At first she thought it was the hospital but when she looked on closely it appeared to be a different phone number than she had recognized.

"Hello?" Addison answered the phone

"Is this Dr. Addison Montgomery?" The guy asked

"Yes, this is her. May I ask who this is?" Addison then asked in return as Sam began to sit up in the bed once he noticed the change in her tone

"This is Detective Leison. I was wondering if you could come down to the station, so we can ask you a few questions" Detective Leison said

"About?" Addison asked feeling alarmed

"About your patient Katie Ferver" Detective Leison replied

"Okay, Detective I'm going to need more to go on that what your telling me. I'm extremely hormonal, and I barely just went to sleep because my back is killing me…so I need some concrete details to get up" Addison told the Detective as Sam became worried as to what was going on

"What's going on?" Sam whispered still half asleep

"Katie…we found her baby stabbed to death in a dumpster. We believe she killed the baby" Detective Lieson sighed in frustration not exactly getting a thrill out of telling this news to a pregnant woman

"Okay, I'll be right there" Addison said after a few moments of silence came over her. Satisfied that she was cooperating with him, Detective Lieson thanked her then ended the phone call. Placing the phone down on the nightstand as she ran her hand through her hair, Addison looked over at Sam in disbelief "She did it. She killed her baby" she said

"Who? Katie?" Sam asked

"Yeah" Addison said "C'mon, we have to get down there" she said before she got up from the bed and immediately made her way over to her closet to get dressed.

"Are you sure your up for this, I mean you've been having back pains all day" Sam replied

"I really don't have a choice, besides I owe it to the child that she killed…I have to go" Addison said

* * *

Peeking out at the waiting room, Amelia could see how concerned the parents were for their daughter, which only made things worse if things turned out the way she hoped it wouldn't. Pacing the hallways nervously, all she kept thinking about was what she could do to go around the system but she knew with all the precautions the board was taking that going around them would be nearly impossible. Looking over at the nurses station at Charlotte nearly having a screaming match with one of the board members, Amelia knew that the outcome was not going to be good for her regardless of what she came up with. Walking through the door, Marcus quickly made his way over towards her. He had received her message during a meeting he had with one of his patients, and ever since then he could have just ran out on his patient ever since receiving the text. They weren't too big on public displays of affection but lately they had seemed to swerve over into the regular couple territory, leaving their anti-stance behind as they both looked on at Charlotte heading over towards them.

"So what do we do?" Amelia asked immediately

"We…we have to discharge her" Charlotte replied unhappily "The board is not going to make any exceptions" she said as Marcus reached out to grab the file from Charlotte so he could look it over

"Maria Lopez. Has Degenerative Disc Disease. Plays soccer…an athlete, she could be placed under my services. I have pro-bono cap" Marcus replied

"She can't because it was a long standing disease. Maria was well aware of her disease at a young age" Charlotte replied

"This girl is in extreme pain, we can't just discharge her. The treatments she's taken has done little to help her…she needs surgery" Amelia said

"Don't you think I know that" Charlotte replied

"What did the board say?" Marcus asked "I mean they can't be serious about letting her go, her only option would be to go to Galveston and that's like writing a death wish" he said

"She still falls under Galveston Clinic" Charlotte replied

"They've prescribed pain meds, which basically isn't doing a damn thing for her. The doctors basically write it off as a disease that can be treated with the simple over the counter crap" Amelia replied

"You two are preaching to the choir with me. I feel the same way, but my hands are tied. The only thing we can do is…" Charlotte said as she just tried to search for the answers as to what to do "Pray for her" she said just as the nurse walked over to them

"Here are the discharge papers, she's ready to go" The nurse said as she handed them over to Charlotte

"They don't waste time, do they?" Marcus asked in a sarcastic tone about the hospital board before Amelia made her way over to the double doors that lead out into the waiting room, where she had to deliver the news while Marcus just followed behind. Once Amelia came out, Maria's father quickly rushed up to her in hopes that she had the answers to their problems as he knew the pain his daughter was in

"How is she?" Maria's father asked as Amelia took a moment to gather her thoughts

"Maria is still in a great deal of pain. I have given her pain medication that is doing a bit of good but will not take away the pain that she's enduring. She has what is called Degenerative Disc Disease, which is the reason she is having chronic back pains and just pain in general around her spine" Amelia told him

"So what do you have to do?" Maria's father anxiously as the mother found the strength to come over after nearly crying her eyes out

"All you can do is take the prescribed medicine that was given to you by your original primary doctor at the clinic. I can prescribe another dose to make sure you won't run out" Amelia said as the father looked at her with confusion

"The pills don't work. Maria…she takes, takes, takes, takes pills constantly and still there is pain. There has to be something that you can do for her… I just want the pain to go away for my daughter" Maria's father said

"And I wish I could…" Amelia managed to say before Maria's father cut her off

"Then do it. You're a doctor, do something…please, this is my baby girl" Maria's father replied becoming emotional as his wife clenched on to him. Taking deep breaths, Amelia turned to look back at Marcus who gave her a calming look that just said she had to do this before turning back to look at the parents

"I'm sorry. There is nothing more we can do for her" Amelia replied as the mother just cried even more so

"She has a disease…that's stuff your suppose to cure" Maria's mother cried "Just do whatever it takes…I want her to be able to have a normal life" she sobbed

"What is this really about? I mean you…you can help her, or do you not want to?" Maria's father asked cutting straight to the tension

"You have no insurance. Everything from this point on would just add up in cost" Amelia said

"How much?" Maria's mother asked

"How much is it going to cost?" Maria's father asked

"Your looking at over a hundred thousand dollars worth of treatment and that's not even including the surgery" Amelia sadly told them as the look of defeat just wore on their faces like a well fit sweater

"There is nothing you could do?" Maria's mother asked through the tears "Please. I just want my baby…I want her to be okay" she cried as Maria's father quickly broke away from his wife's embrace and began to pace the floor becoming angrier by the minute

"No, no, no" Maria's father said as he just shook his head in disbelief "This is bullshit!" he screamed

"I know sir" Amelia just nodded and agreed

"You call yourself doctors! Your suppose to help people, make them better but all it is about is money…this is a damn corporation not a place to get better" Maria's father yelled causing the other patients to become alarmed by his anger while all Amelia could do was stand there and take it until Marcus slowly walked up

"Sir, if you could just quiet your voice down. Your beginning to scare the other patients" Marcus told him

"I don't give a damn about other people! My daughter is in pain and she needs help…and instead she…she just has to suffer through" Maria's father yelled as his emotions began to catch up to him just as the nurse rolled a pain stricken Maria out in a wheelchair "And I see you just all ready did what you to. You just assumed that we wouldn't be able to. What type of shit is this! Huh? This is bullshit!" he yelled as his wife tried to calm him down but she was unable to really control him all too much as he began to approach Amelia

"Hey! Back off!" Marcus yelled as he stepped in between him and Amelia "I'm sorry about your circumstances but she can still get looked at by the clinic" he said angrily as his sympathy was turning into rage for him even thinking he could approach Amelia

"They don't do anything for her!" Maria's father yelled

"And I'm sorry, but acting like a maniac isn't going to solve the answer" Marcus yelled just as Charlotte made her way out to the waiting room to see the two

"Dr. King, get away" Charlotte replied forcefully

"Not until Mr. Lopez gets away from Dr. Shepperd….then I'll get away" Marcus said as Mr. Lopez and he stared each other down

"I hope you all burn in hell. Fuck all of you. Fuck this hospital. Fuck your degrees because they don't mean shit" Mr. Lopez said in Spanish as Maria groaned in pain

"Let's just go home. Papa, I'll be fine…I just want to go home" Maria said in between groans

"Yeah, she'll be real fine" Mr. Lopez said sarcastically before he turned to tend to his daughter and slowly but surely he and his family made their way out of the hospital

"There are better ways of dealing with a hostile family member King. Don't make it a habit" Charlotte scolded him

"I got the point loud and clear" Marcus said a bit agitated before Charlotte turned to head back inside

"Are you all right?" Marcus asked as he turned to check on Amelia

"I just had a patient leave, who should have had a surgery to help her pain. How do you think I feel?" Amelia said in a sarcastic tone before Marcus lead her off into the corner of the waiting room so that they were alone

"This isn't your fault. It's just…it's just the system" Marcus replied

"Yeah, well the system is screwed up" Amelia replied before she pulled away from his embrace and just walked off

* * *

Nothing about last night had seemed to wane down in Amelia's mind as all throughout the night she just couldn't get Maria out of her head, it was just on constant replay of the pain that Maria was dealing with and then the reactions of her parents. She knew she wasn't doing much in helping Maria by worrying about her because at the end of the day she was still out there in pain dealing with something that was only going to get worse, which made her look forward to the meeting with hospital board. Usually Amelia wasn't a fan of the board meetings but with everything that was going on, she felt it was time to get answers and solutions about what they as doctors are suppose to do with patients that clearly need their help. Marcus looked over at her occasionally to see that she was a nervous wreck, and he would offer the occasional words of comfort but it just wasn't what she wanted to hear at this moment so he wasn't going to push it. The board as usual was late for their own announced meeting, which made everyone in the room even more tense as they felt time was precious especially with the matters at hand. Between Addison's constant fidgetting and Amelia's nervous leg shake, Marcus and Sam were in a conundrum or nervousness that they couldn't escape. Just as he began to get impatient, Bill Nelson, the second higher up on the board entered in the room looking as if he didn't even want to be there in the first place as he took his seat.

"All right. Let's get this meeting started" Bill said as he opened up his binder before taking a sip of his water "As you all know the hospital has had many change in procedures and protocols that were once acceptable. We feel its necessary to go over them once more that way we are all on the same page about them, so we can avoid any future problems. Now you all do a remarkable job that makes the St. Ambrose the most recognized hospital in the Southern California region as well as nationally. Along with the protocols we will be discussing cutting our affiliations with our sister clinic, Galveston Clinic" he said

"Wait, cutting ties? Why are we cutting ties?" Amelia quickly asked when she heard the statement

"Dr. Shepered, next time raising your hand to be called upon would work best in your favor" Bill scolded her

"Okay" Amelia replied not understanding what the difference would be as she held her hand up

"Dr. Sheperd" Bill called on her still annoyed with her previous action

"Why are we cutting our affiliation with Galveston Clinic?" Amelia asked

"Because due to the many incorrect procedures that have occurred, we as a board feel it is our best interest to protect the interest of St. Ambrose" Bill replied

"But people come to us through Galveston for surgeries that are cost affordable to them, which is rare, but we're still a source when it comes to treatment and we use them as an option for some of our rehabilitation centers" Amelia said

"Actually, with the proceeds of our recent fundraisers, we will be able to get a state of the art rehabilitation center that will suit the needs of all our patients" Charlotte replied

"And that eats up all the funds? I had a patient who recently stabbed her child due to hang ups with the Safe Haven Laws…she quote on quote did not meet the three day requirement age" Addison replied "Money should be put into creating educational classes through the hospital so that we can reassure soon to be mothers of their options and all that is needed to take care of a child. A rehabilitation is nice and all but we have issues that have yet to be addressed" she said

"Are we seriously debating over the allocation of funds? We are cutting ties with a hospital…" Amelia said before Bill interrupted her

"A clinic" Bill stated

"A hospital to those who can't afford the membership on top of the premiums that we offer" Amelia said

"The incident in which the issue rose is with Galveston. Their staff is not properly trained nor have the bedside manners to deal with patients" Sam replied

"Then further the training of all medical staff, run all prescriptions through St. Ambrose" Amelia suggested

"We wouldn't have time to overlook Galveston on top of the patients we all ready have. We'd be doubling the work load for the nurses as well the pharmacy" Marcus said

"I'm glad to hear that we are having a healthy discussion about this but regardless we have to cut ties…it's in the best interest of the hospital" Bill said

"We have one incident, and that's grounds for termination?" Amelia replied still not understanding

"It's been more than one incident. It's the Department of Sanitation closing the clinic down for a month so that its up to code, it's doctors selling pills on the side claiming the pay isn't enough, it's patients going in with one condition and leaving with another, it's nurses who don't know the adequate amount of dosage to inject, it's lack of details not being written down because it required too much paperwork…its' one thing after the other" Sam said

"And who's fault is that?" Amelia asked as Sam just couldn't understand nor agree with her point "We're punishing more than just the hospital by doing this, we are telling hundreds of patients that we're through with them because the hospital they attend can't clean their act up. So tell me, who's fault is that?" she said

"You can't save the world" Charlotte replied

"I'm not trying to, but I'd like to feel good about the fact that I'm actually in a business that actually wants to cure people rather than give them enough so they still come back to pay my car note" Amelia said

"That's an over exaggeration" Addison said

"No, I really don't think it is. Guys, that is our stereotype. Doctors these days aren't the heroes anymore…we're the dark figures that lurk in the background now" Amelia said

"Dr. Sheperd, I think your peers have made their opinions known and which way they are leaning towards" Bill said

"I'm fully aware of the stereotypes now, but I will not support or double the workload because staff makes no effort to get it right. Its heartbreaking to see how this will effect patients who go there, but we can't go on promoting a hospital that we all don't stand behind" Addison said

"We have to do what is best for the community, and sending them to a clinic that is not capable of practicing medicine…we're doing more harm than good" Marcus said

"So, now that we've heard everyone's opinion. I think its clear that we have officially cut ties with Galveston Clinic" Bill said "The notices will be sent to your e-mails, as well as the closure date" he said

"Unbelievable" Amelia said as she just shook her head until she just couldn't manage to take sitting there any longer so she rose from her seat

"Where are you going?" Marcus asked as he grabbed her arm

"I'm not sitting here for this" Amelia said before she pulled away from his embrace and just walked out of the room

* * *

After a long day of work that included the on going discussion of protocols and procedures, Addison was more than thrilled to finally get out of her work clothes and into some pajamas so that she could relax, when they made it home. Sam had done his usual routine of changing clothes then getting dinner prepared for the both of them, she had hoped that he would make a big fat juicy steak for her but he was such a stickler for following the rules. Looking around a bit to make sure that he would stay in the kitchen long enough so that she could sneak off and grab the cookies she had stashed away for herself in the drawer in the office. Tip toeing inside the office, she felt as if she could almost taste the chocolatey goodness that she was about to embark upon once she would pull out the drawer. Opening up the drawer, she immediately saw that he had cleaned it out…looking on in disbelief she nearly ran through a million different scenarios as to how he could have known about the cookies since she had practically bought them while he was out playing basketball. Storming back into the kitchen, Sam bowled over in a fit of laughter as seeing her face was priceless.

"Really? You take the cookies" Addison said "Nothing is wrong with eating cookies Sam, eating cookies is stimulating" she said

"How is eating cookies stimulating?" Sam asked

"It is when your carrying the child, and since your not carrying…its stimulating the person who needs it the most" Addison replied

"So I've been substituted for cookies, I thought I stimulate you?" Sam asked as he turned the fire off under his pot

"Well sometimes you don't do it for me" Addison replied as Sam just looked at her as if she were joking "Sucks losing something, doesn't it?" she pointed out

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon and eat your dinner" Sam said as he began to prepare her plate before she set up camp at the countertop of the kitchen just as Sam handed her plate of grilled chicken with asparagus

"I like the meat, but I can do without the asparagus. It tastes horrible" Addison complained as he leaned in to kiss her on the side of her face before he just laughed

"It's good for you" Sam replied

"I'm glad your all in tune with my body, but I don't see you making any sacrifices" Addison said

"How can you say that? I've made sacrifices. I have reduced my sports watching. I cook every night…" Sam said before Addison cut him off

"All of which get you sex, now what have you sacrificed for the sake of the baby?" Addison asked him "We have yet to get the babies crib or pick out a color for his room" she said

"I thought you chose the forest green color" Sam said "And besides, you like the whole color selection deal. I'm just the cheerleader that says that's great or I can't believe you found that color" he said

"Well I need you to get in the game, the game of sacrifice" Addison said

"Woman" Sam sighed "Fine, what? What do you want?" he asked

"I want the office" Addison said as Sam nearly had a heart attack

"No. Your doing this out of spite because of the whole cookie deal" Sam declared "This is pure revenge" he said

"It's called our son needs a room. The office is becoming like your mini bachelor pad. I swear if I see another Michael Jordan, the only air Jordan it'll see is when I throw it out" Addison told him

"Your evil" Sam grinned "If I would have let the cookies be then you wouldn't be calling dibs on the office" he said

"Eventually I would have, we don't have a lot of rooms. We have offices at the practice" Addison said

"But those are our professional offices, this office is like our own little safe place" Sam said "We can't play patient and doctor at our office at the practice, this office we can all the sex we want without feeling like we have to be quiet" he said

"Uh, we still have to be quiet because apparently Amelia can hear everything…so that argument is thrown out the window. Face it, the office is like the stripper pole to your male ego…it needs to be made over into our son's nursery" Addison said

"What if we got an add on?" Sam asked

"Sam, really?" Addison asked him

"Fine. Fine. But I want to clear it out, I need to have alone time with him. He doesn't take change so well" Sam said as Addison just laughed at him

"Him, our office is a him now?" Addison asked

"Yes, you want to know the name?" Sam asked

"What's the name of the office because I'm getting a name for you and its called crazy" Addison laughed

"Jordan" Sam revealed

"That's a shocker" Addison replied sarcastically

* * *

He had gotten the whole doing chores down to an art, it was like becoming engrained in him that he had to wash the dishes or vacuum the living room, he was becoming a clean freak now that it was something he had gotten use to. Staying at his place had been great and all, but he truly missed being with Amelia and just being around what he started to view her as, his best friend. Heading into the bedroom to get ready for a shower he quickly saw her sitting on the bed with her scheduler in front of her as she was talking on the phone with someone arranging appointments it seemed. Amelia was never one to bring work home, but with everything happening with Galveston Clinic he wasn't too surprised that she was trying to save the world all in a couple of days. Making his way inside the bathroom to turn on the shower so that it would reach the temperature he liked, he relieved himself of his shirt. Just as he was getting ready to fully disrobe he could hear the bits and pieces of her conversation in the bedroom. Not wanting to easedrop he tried to walk away but until he heard that she was setting up appointments at Galveston Clinic that's when he quickly made his way inside the bedroom once more. Amelia did all she could to avoid eye contact, which only lead him to push the speakerphone on the main phone so that he could hear whatever the person was saying on the other line. Much to her protest, Marcus was able to pull away so that he could hear fully.

"Okay, I'll put up posters about you coming to the clinic tonight, that way we can get a good turnout " The woman said happily as Marcus just looked back at Amelia

"Thank you for setting this up, this means a lot to me" Amelia said before she was finally able to turn off the speak phone on the main phone after he had set it down on the nightstand "Okay, goodnight. I'll talk to you tomorrow" she said before she hung up the phone

"What the hell was that?" Marcus quickly asked

"It was me on the phone. I expected to have privacy, you know, that's the decent thing to do" Amelia replied annoyed with his behavior

"No, the decent thing to do is tell your boyfriend that your planning on going to a clinic that is potentially dangerous" Marcus said

"Don't play the possessive boyfriend crap" Amelia replied "And your being dramatic like everyone else, its not a dangerous place to be" she griped

"Dramatic? Its called the facts" Marcus said

"Facts my ass. It doesn't fall under the tightly supervised version of St. Ambrose so everyone is running scared" Amelia said "What happened today was wrong, and you were a part of that" she said

"Yes, I was because as I doctor I have an obligation to do what is right for people's health not for my conscience" Marcus said

"And what's that suppose to mean?" Amelia asked

"It means that your still dealing with what happened with the Lopez family. So now your on this crusade to change health care in one night" Marcus said

"Health care is screwed up for people in general, not just one. And I'm sorry that I actually give a damn as a doctor that the thing we're suppose to be doing comes along with a price tag for the highest bidder" Amelia said

"And I'm well aware of how screwed up things are…the educational system is screwed up but we can't save the world" Marcus said "There will be others like the Lopez family that we will have to turn away or give the minimal due to insurance purposes, but its just how things are" he said

"I'm sick of how things are. I'm sick of just going along with it because that's protocol" Amelia stated

"Yeah, well…I don't want you going down there" Marcus said

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you honestly think you can tell me what I can do? Because if so than your delusional" Amelia said

"Then call me delusional, but I mean it…I don't want you there" Marcus said sternly

"Your wrong about this" Amelia said "If anything, you should come with me" she said

"I don't need to because your not going" Marcus replied

"I'm going. Now if your pissed about that then whatever but I don't agree with the decision that was made today" Amelia said before Marcus just grabbed his shirt and a pillow off the bed "So what? Your mad now?" she asked

"Not mad, i just think you're the one in the wrong now" Marcus said

"How am I in the wrong? You in one vote took away the only source of medicine that a community could depend on" Amelia replied

"Oh, for crying out loud! That clinic slash hospital has had more fatalities than any clinic in the county…the county. So excuse me if I think it's a waste to have a facility that doesn't put in the effort to practice good medicine and just infests its halls with criminals dressed as doctors" Marcus replied angrily

"One! One doctor does not make up the whole staff as a criminal" Amelia said

"What you don't seem to get is that I can have a opinion. I'm supposed to have an opinion as a doctor and as your boyfriend…but right now, I'm not getting any" Marcus replied

"When your opinion comes from rational thought then I'll listen to it" Amelia told him angrily "And stop throwing the word boyfriend around…you sound possessive when you say it and its getting annoying" she then blurted out

"Yeah, well at this point calling you my girlfriend is getting annoying. You think your way is always the correct way, to hell with everyone else" Marcus yelled

"I never said that" Amelia replied

"You don't have to, you act like it" Marcus said

"If I annoy you so much then why don't you just leave. Leave me to my crusade because I don't need you" Amelia yelled

"Gladly" Marcus said before he put his shirt back on then quickly left out of the bedroom and eventually the house while all Amelia could was sigh in frustration

* * *

Looking out at the scenery of Los Angeles, Addison couldn't help but feel relaxed as she was enjoying her day off from work and all the craziness that was surrounding the hospital these days. Glancing back over at Sam, who happily hummed along to the songs that played on the radio as he drove, she was just glad that they were able to just relax and enjoy each other. Sam had been taking the news of giving up the office pretty well but deep down she knew that it was going to take him a little while to adjust to leaving his semi-man cave behind, they had been use to living on their own for quite some time that there were certain things they got accustomed to since they were single. While married to Derek, he always like to have surgery photos around the house as a form of art but when they divorced, Addison was glad to have décor that suited what she was into as opposed to sharing the tastes while secretly despising it and hoping for an earthquake to knock them all down…and she was pretty sure that Sam had gotten use to the same thing. Today they had both agreed on a crib and interior designs for the baby room so they were basically going out to buy, which was Addison's favorite thing to do. Making their first stop at Babies R' Us, they had both become like kids in the candy store as all the gadgets they had for kids now they found fascinating. Going off on his own to check out the baby sports section, Addison drifted around looking at the patterns that she had selected until a woman made her way over towards her.

"Dr. Montgomery" The woman said as Addison turned to look at her and found it surprising to see that it was Katie's mother, Elizabeth Ferver

"Ms. Ferver, how are you?" Addison asked unsure if that was the right thing to ask since she had a pretty good idea how she was

"Uh, I have…its been a struggle these past couple of days" Elizabeth replied

"And Katie? How is she?" Addison asked

"She's doing the best she can under the circumstances" Elizabeth said trying not to get emotional "I just…I just wanted to say thank you for all your help, and for being a great doctor to Katie" she said as she fought back tears "Things just got a little tough around the past couple of months with Katie's father passing then with her being pregnant" she then said

"Why did you stop coming to me? I could have helped Katie come up with the best option for the baby as opposed to…I would have been there" Addison said

"With Greg's medical bills I had to pay them off so our medical insurance suspended my membership until we were caught up, so we couldn't go to Oceanside. I knew that you guys were affiliated with Galveston so I started taking Katie there for checkups, and it just…its like she was just a number there. Doctors would tell her inconsistent information about the growth of the baby…one doctor had told her that baby's heart was strong enough then another would refude it…she was under constant stress all the time" Elizabeth cried as Addison did her best to comfort her "I had told her that we would make it through, and that we would raise the baby. I had even taken a second job just to catch up on our bills so that we would hopefully be able to afford it when she would go into labor. Katie would be sad, but I just thought that I had reassured her…I never thought" she went on to say

"Did you know she had gone into labor?" Addison asked

"No. I was at work, and she went into labor in the morning. She called the clinic but they kept putting her on hold so she just got scared" Elizabeth said "She gave birth alone and…she just felt so alone…I know it doesn't excuse what happened, but what did you expect from a kid. She was just a kid, who was carrying the world on her shoulders" she said "I was so excited to meet my grandchild that I had secretly bought stuff with the tips I got…I got comforters, bears, diapers…I just stashed it away so she didn't know" she cried "As much as I want to blame it on that clinic, that nurse, that person, who turned her away…I have to be grateful for…Angela" she said

"Who is Angela?" Addison asked

"When we'd go to her appointments, Katie had made friends with one of the cleaning crew members, her name was Angela. Apparently Angela learned that Katie came in with the baby and she came by the house. Angela was the one consoled Katie after…she just helped her feel like she wasn't a monster" Elizabeth said finding a bit of hope in the saddened story "Who knew that the staff you probably looked down upon would be the only staff that would comfort her and make her feel like her feelings mattered. It doesn't erase what Katie did, but I just think to myself if Angela would have been there at that nurses station…that short period of time Katie was there, I might have a grandchild. I might be a grandparent, but instead of losing one child, I've lost two" she said just as Sam cautiously walked up to approach the two women, seeing that Addison was consoling the grieving mother "I'm sorry, I'm just running off at the mouth" she then apologized

"No, no. It's okay" Addison said "You should really come by my office, I would love for us to talk further" she then told Elizabeth

"Thank you for your time" Elizabeth said "I should be going, but I will take you up on it" she said before she turned to walk away. Coming up from behind, Sam massaged her shoulders as he knew this was tough for her

"Are you all right?" Sam asked

"Don't, I don't want to talk about my feelings because I'm pregnant and I'm very hormonal as you should know" Addison said becoming emotional

"Yeah, I know" Sam replied

"So I want to shop. I want to shop for our son because he deserves the mini cave that has become the office, so I'm not going to get overly emotional because I'm going to channel my emotions into shopping for our son" Addison explained

"Okay, but will that really help you?" Sam asked

"I'm a woman, retail therapy always helps" Addison said "So just follow behind and lift when I say lift, grab when I say grab, agree when I want you to agree" she said before she walked off as Sam just trailed behind with the basket.

* * *

Coming down the staircase of his condo apartment, Marcus struggled with his watch as he listened on to his manager talk about his appearances that were coming up for Inside the League, in which he mostly like watching basketball from amazing seats and hanging out with a few of his friends that he had made since he started out. Turning on the television to check the sports highlight, he then headed into the kitchen to make himself some coffee because he knew that James, his manager, wasn't going to stop talking anytime soon. A part of him expected to hear footsteps come down the staircase because it had just been something he had gotten use to since he frequented over at Amelia's place. This time, he knew it was different, he knew that she wasn't coming down the staircase and he felt a little ashamed to say that he was happy that she wouldn't be. She had been so frustrating to him, more than any girl he had ever met, his frustrations with her was the key thing he grew to like about her, which just eventually morphed into attraction…and that scared him because of all the girls he had been with she was just…different for him, a difference he thought would be good for him but he slowly just began to think that maybe she wasn't the girl for him. He knew that it was an extreme reaction after the many bickering matches they had but something in him just felt like he was tired of the bickering, he wanted the real thing…not the anti anymore like they had proclaimed themselves to be. As he went deeper into thought, he was soon torn away from his thoughts by a knock at the door. Making his way over to the door, Marcus opened the door to see that Amelia was standing on the other side.

"Your up. That's good" Amelia smiled hoping that he wasn't upset still but his facial expressions did little to show her

"What are you doing here?" Marcus asked her not wanting to start up again

"I wanted to come by and see you" Amelia said "Can we talk?" she then asked as he stepped out of the way so she could come inside "I forget how big your place is sometimes" she said trying to start up a conversation to ease the tension

"I forget I even have a place, but it beat being…it was better to be here last night" Marcus replied realizing that what he was about to say would have been rude

"Yeah, I know" Amelia replied sadly knowing that if he would have spoke freely he would have said it beat being with her last night "Look, I missed you last night. We both said things that just wasn't what we should be saying to each other" she said cutting right to the point

"I hardly doubt you missed me. I mean I annoy you so much that I think if you were honest with yourself, you'd realize that last night was good for the both of us" Marcus said

"No, I genuinely missed you" Amelia said

"I'm really not in the mood for this right now, I have to go out to Santa Barbara today for a meeting" Marcus said

"Oh, I was kind of hoping I could still my boyfriend for breakfast…that new restaurant opened up and I know how much you wanted to try it out" Amelia said a little disappointed

"Yeah, well I just booked it this morning. I thought and I still think that we were going to be a part for a little while" Marcus replied

"Why would you think that?….I mean couples fight all the time. It was a difference in opinion which I'm almost sure we'll have again, we never took time a part before" Amelia reasoned

"Are you going to the clinic today?" Marcus asked getting straight to the point

"Yes" Amelia took a moment to reply before he just shook his head in disbelief

"I don't even know why I bothered to think that you would have changed your mind, you do as you want regardless of what others think" Marcus replied "Well this time is different, this time I'm not going to stand back and just accept it" he said "Look, I get that your fiercely passionate about what you believe, but I'm just wondering…when is it ever going to be comfortable to accept the fact that we're in a relationship and there are certain things we're suppose to share with each other. I just feel like we're slapping on a title on something in which we're going through the motions" Marcus said

"Going through the motions? Wow, where is all of this coming from?" Amelia asked a little surprised by how he was talking "I mean is this your way of breaking up with me or something?" she then asked

"I just think this my way of saying we need a break" Marcus replied as Amelia just laughed in disbelief

"Your really full of yourself. I don't abide by what you tell me to do so you want to break up? That's real classy of you" Amelia said

"You don't abide by anything. Remember me calling you my girlfriend annoys you, you act like having someone care about you is a burden" Marcus said

"At that point, it was annoying because you use it to patronize me" Amelia said

"I used it because that's what you are, your supposed to be my girlfriend. Your supposed to tell me what your up to, not sneak around" Marcus said

"I wasn't sneaking around, and I don't have to check in with you…I'm a grown woman" Amelia said

"I'm well aware of that, you tell me that all the time so how can I forget it. So I'll let you be a grown woman and do as you please because I officially stopped caring" Marcus said

"Screw you!" Amelia managed to say before tears began to well up in her eyes just as she walked over to leave. Marcus stood motionless for a moment as he just sighed and went about his business knowing that maybe this break would be the best thing for them. Finishing up the rest of his coffee, he put the cup in the sink just as his cell phone began to ring

"Hello" Marcus answered in an annoyed voice

"Hey, is this a bad time?" Sam asked

"No, no. I was just…no, its not a bad time" Marcus said "Why? What's up?" he asked

* * *

After getting off the phone with Sam, Marcus had headed over to the Babies R' us a few blocks away to pick up Addison like Sam had requested. The couple had gone overboard with baby shopping and Addison wouldn't dare use the option of having it delivered, so since Sam took his s.u.v. he had to haul the stuff home while Marcus drove Addison back to the house. When they had finally made it to the house, Addison wasted no time instructing the guys on where to put the furniture and baby décor that way she could mentally picture how the room was going to be. Just by being with Addison for a few moments, Marcus and Sam could tell that she was so desperately trying to focus on the baby as if she were trying not to think of anything else. Once they were finished arranging the boxes to her liking, which they both found a bit odd but then again it was Addison, Marcus and Sam grabbed a beer from the fridge and just lounged on the sofa. Still aware that he had to leave in a few minutes or so, Marcus was glad to just finally have a moment of relaxation after working up a sweat.

"Great, you guys did a great job" Addison praised as she joined them in the living room area while they both just gasped for air

"Yeah, no problem" Marcus replied before he turned to look at Sam "Next time, don't call me" he said nearly out of breath

"Oh, whatever. You enjoyed moving boxes for me, it was refreshing to see Doc Hollywood doing manual labor" Addison teased

"I hate that nickname" Marcus groaned

"I think its catchy and creative" Addison said

"Where's Amelia?" Sam asked "I was half expecting you to show up with sister soldier beside you" he joked as a Marcus just sighed in frustration and that's all it took for Addison and Sam to know that something was up

"Uh oh. What's happened?" Addison asked

"Nothing, nothing has happened" Marcus replied as he began to massage his head

"Then why are you massaging your head?" Addison laughed as Marcus just laughed to himself in disbelief

"Because I'm just massaging…I like to massage my head, I'm getting my brain cells relaxed" Marcus lied

"And that would be the lie to avoid talking about what has happened" Sam said to Addison, who agreed with the statement

"Next, he'll say the cliché lie of everything is okay. He'll think that we'll buy it and we'll sit in ignorant bliss" Addison laughed

"Basically, how do you know me so well" Marcus said sarcastically

"I for one have had an unusual day" Addison sighed as Marcus handed the can of beer over to Addison while Sam looked on at confusion

"You do know she's pregnant, she can't drink" Sam replied

"Its not to drink, its to hold to make her think she's drinking so she'll have the prop to tell us why her day was unusual" Marcus replied as Addison held up the can of beer as if she were the Statue of Liberty

"See, see how he lets me have the independence. Now, as I was saying, I had an unusual day. It appears that my patient that stabbed her baby…" Addison said

"The Katie girl?" Marcus asked

"Yes. Well it appears that someone from Galveston actually stepped up, someone stepped up and now I'm…I'm confused as to why this Angela person is someone that I think highly of when there was an incompetent nurse who was such a stickler for the rules allowed a baby to get killed and a young girl to basically ruin her life. So that made my day unusual because I'm so pissed yet so confused" Addison replied

"That sucks" Marcus agreed

"You shouldn't let it get to you" Sam replied

"I swear if I never hear the name Galveston again" Marcus groaned

"I know, I was with you on it but my unusual day changed all that" Addison said "I mean are we really the bad guys now? Have we become the stereotypes like Amelia said?" she asked

"We're the tragic heroes, we're burdened with the weight of the world" Sam replied

"But we're still heroes?" Addison asked

"God, I hope so" Marcus sighed "I mean why even do the job if you don't get the perks of being God like, isn't that why you got into medicine or part of the reason" he said

"I got into medicine because I wanted to piss Bizzy off and stray away from the wasp housewife. When I became world class, I really pissed her off" Addison said

"I got into medicine because I really loved cutting my frog in biology, so I figured why not go into medicine" Sam laughed as they all joined in on the pity party

"So if we're the tragic heroes, why do I feel still like I didn't do enough for Katie?" Addison asked before Sam got up to join her on the sofa so that he could pull her in close to him for comfort

"That's why they call it a tragedy" Marcus replied as he looked on at the couple in admiration before looking on at his watch to see that he still had a few more minutes before he had to get on the road to take the long drive to Santa Barbara

"We should watch highlights" Sam suggested before Addison hit him with a pillow just as he turned the television on to ABC, which had a breaking news report. Focusing her eyes on the screen, Addison began to look closer

"Hey, is that…is that the clinic" Addison said as Sam turned the volume up on the television

"There has been reports that there is a gunman inside. Galveston Clinic has been placed on lockdown. We will be going back and forth to field coverage so that we can update as soon as possible" The reporter said before Marcus's smile soon faded and he just felt lifeless at this point. Jumping out of his seat, he quickly pulled his keys out as Sam and Addison looked on at him to see he was acting strangely

"Amelia…Amelia" Marcus said feeling as if he couldn't breath "I have to go" he said as he began to walk over towards the door before he quickly just ran out.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long read, but I really hope you enjoy it. I just want to clear up some things just in case your like this is fanfiction gone serious and that's not what I'm looking for. Please don't take any of what was written as me making a stance on something, it purely for entertainment purposes. I want this to be as realistic as possible so I wanted to insert an issue that is relevant today as well as could be something you could see on the show. Thank you for the positive reviews, its always fun to write when their is positive feedback on the couples especially when you insert a made up character, such as Marcus, but I appreciate the Amelius support. Love the nickname. So I have to say after watching this week's ep I was slightly relieved, but then again I have come to expect less now so I'll always be relieved with slightly less expectations. I do have to say this though, I think its become clear from a lot of message boards I've read that people are glad Naomi is leaving, and after this week ep so was I. I don't want to ramble on so thank you for reading and please let me know what you think :)**


	15. Wonderwall Part Two

**Chapter Fifteen- Wonderwall Part Two**

Gunshots. Screams. Blood. Running. That's all she could remember. Feeling something sharp prick against her skin, she began to stir awake…wake up to the reality that was of gunshots, screams, blood, and people running for their lives. Placing her hand down on the ground to lift herself up from the ground, she immediately felt a sharp pain rise through her body as her attempt had been cut short. Trying not to make too much noise as she wanted so badly to cry out in pain due to the puncture she had received in her hand, she began to see the blood spread on her hands. Following the blood path she began to realize that the blood was coming from more than just her hand but from her arm. She hadn't felt too much of the pain due to the initial shock of it all, but once she began to notice it all, it all came rushing back to her. Doing her best to sit up as each move that she made there was a piece of glass poking at her until she finally was able to sit up against the wall. Taking a few moment to control the sensation of pain that was shooting through every ounce of her body, she leaned her head up against the wall she almost went to a place inside of her that needed something to take away the pain. Glancing up, she was immediately taken aback when she saw a man…a familiar man, crouched down sitting up against the wall with a gun in his hand. A slight smirk came to his face as he kicked over a box of tissues to Amelia.

"Remember me?" The man asked

"Please just let me go" Amelia cried

"Do you remember me?" The guy went on to ask once again

"No, I don't remember you!" Amelia yelled in frustration "Just let me go please" she cried before he raised his gun up and shot up at the ceiling causing Amelia to duck down in fear from the chippings of the ceiling fell to the floor

"Do you remember me?" The guy yelled

"Maria's father" Amelia cried out through the pain as she could barely focus in on the man due to the pain

"Right doc" Maria's father replied "I somehow knew we'd meet again" he said sarcastically

"What have you done?" Amelia asked

"Shut up!" Maria's father yelled "I'll ask the questions. You don't get to ask the questions. I'm running this show!" he continued to yell at her as she just flinched at the sound of him yelling

"All right" Amelia replied nervously

"I made this special trip to come see you and I didn't come because I wanted to hear you feed me some more bullshit about the system" Maria's father said "No, I made this special trip because this time we're rewriting the script…I'm getting a different ending this time. This time I'm going to let you be what I thought you would be when I first met you. This time your going to be the hero or else I will blow your fucking brains out" Maria's father said as Amelia continued to grimace in pain. The pain had become so bad that she just couldn't stop the tears that were coming down "Your crying?" he said beginning to laugh "What the fuck are you crying about? Because you got shot at, because your stuck in a hell hole, because your in so much pain and there is nothing you can do about it, because every move you make you feel nothing but pain….welcome to my health care system, welcome to my daughter's life" he snapped at her angrily

"What do you want from me?" Amelia cried

"I want you to do your damn job!" Maria's father yelled as he fired off another shot that caused Amelia to jump in fear. Looking down at her body she did a visual check to see if she had been shot again but was relieved to see that the only source of pain came from the gunshot wound she had received earlier in her arm "Just do your job" he then said as he tried to calm himself down

"What do you want?" Amelia asked as she couldn't help but cry

"I want you to do the surgery" Maria's father said as he look "Today" he told her

* * *

To say he was driving like a maniac would have been and understatement, all he just kept thinking to himself was that he had to get there, he had to get there. The only thing that kept him from going overboard was the fact that Addison was in the backseat of the car and was looking very pregnant these days as she was only five months but still. His mind had been racing as to what could be happening at this very second, what she could be going through while he was supposed to be taking his break from the crazy that was her. Everything felt like a white noise to him as there was no singular thought that he could zone in on that would calm him, there was no one thing that made him feel like this was karma catching up to him. When they had finally gotten close to the clinic, the mayhem was apparent from just a block away from the scene as many family and friends were out crying and wondering about their loved ones who were in the clinic. Driving any further would have been begging for more frustration, so pulling over in the nearest available parking spot, they all pretty much jumped out the car. Marcus breaking away from the couple, took off running towards the clinic until he was stopped by a police officer.

"My girlfriend…my girlfriend is in there" Marcus told him as he tried to push passed the officer

"You have to stay back sir" The officer told him as he held him back

"My girlfriend is in there! I have to get to her!" Marcus yelled trying his hardest to just get passed the officer just as Addison and Sam caught up to him

"We're doing our best to get everyone out safely, but you have to wait" The officer said as Marcus just pulled back and began to pace around with his hands rubbing against his face as all the frustration was starting to set in

"Dr. Montgomery" Detective Lieson said as he walked up towards the group

"Detective, what's going on inside?" Addison asked "A colleague of mine is inside and I just need to know what's going on?" she asked

"There is a shooter inside, his name is Horatio Lopez….." Detective Lieson said as Marcus felt as if that named seemed familiar to him "From the video footage we've obtained, he rolled in a teenage girl then opened fire. He did have explosives with him so there have been a few go off that set fire . He got off a pretty good amount of shots that have injured a few but that's all we have so far" Detective Lieson said

"And have any of them escaped?" Marcus asked with a little bit of hope

"We've had a few, which is why I'm glad you all showed up…most of the staff is inside or part of the injured party…"Detective Lieson said as Sam pretty much understood what he was asking

"Do you have any medical supplies on hand?" Sam asked

"The ambulances have brought extra supplies, but St. Ambrose is sending over more supplies to cover" Detective Lieson said as Marcus began to scan the crowd in search of Amelia. Looking from every corner his heart nearly busted out of his chest as his hope was slowly fading by the minute

"Hey, hey" Sam said to Marcus trying to get his attention "We don't know anything yet, so don't jump to the worst conclusion" he told him

"Yeah, I know. I know" Marcus said a bit shaken but he tried to push through and be calm like he was supposed to be as a doctor

"Guys, we gotta get going!" Addison called out as the injured people were sprawled out on the floor waiting for treatment. The ambulance workers quickly began to unload the medical supplies before she began to distribute functions for each of the workers then turned to grab some gloves before Sam took them from her.

"No, no, no. You can give out the orders, but your not doing anything strenuous" Sam told her in a tone that let her know that he was in no mood for debates

"Sam, now is not the time to be over protective. We have over twenty people laid out on the floor, and I'm going to help" Addison fired back showing that she could be equally stubborn

"You wanna help, call out what the patient needs but your not doing anything" Sam told her once again "If you even attempt to do anything other than that, so help me God, I will take you back to the house. So please, just do this for me" he told her as Addison wanted to make a reply but she knew that Sam just wanted her to be safe and conscious of the fact that she is pregnant.

"Okay, we got a gunshot victim…we need to remove this bullet, then we need gauze with tape and wound cleansor" Marcus called out as he wasted no time getting straight to work before he was handed a pair of tweezers and immediately began to prod at the gunshot wound while the victim cried out in pain just before he put the bullet in the tray.

"Let's go, let's go" Sam said before he reached over to grab a pair of gloves and jumped into action while all Addison could do was look on at the two men in action doing something she so desperately wanted to help with. Grabbing the clip board from the back of the ambulance, she then went around putting down the names of the victims so there was record of the injuries and the victims that were inside but escaped so the families would be able to know.

* * *

Her hand began to tremble as she set the antiseptic down on the floor after applying to the wound. While Horatio had stepped out to tend to his daughter, who was crying uncontrollably over what terror her father had spread throughout…he did all he could to assure his daughter that he did what he to and that she would no longer be in pain because she was going to have the surgery she so desperately needed, Amelia did her best to relieve the pain coming from her arm. She had rummaged through the drawers and managed to secure a pair of tweezers as she wasted no time ripping the sleeve of her shirt so the area was exposed easily. Taking the piece of her sleave she had ripped off, she rolled it up in the long fashion to put in her mouth before reaching to grab the tweezers. As she mentally began to prepare herself for the pain that would occur, she quickly went in to the entry site of the bullet and dug around. Clenching on to the rolled up sleeve she began to cry as the pain had reached an all time high as she dug deeper. Tears fell uncontrollably as she found the location of the bullet and gave a quick tug to pull it out. Dropping the sleeve from her mouth she began to breath erratically as she put the dressing on to her arm, looking the glass as he came back to the room to see the young doctor taking matters into her own hands.

"Good work. I knew you'd be able to do the surgery" Horatio taunted her as he clapped for her while moving closer towards her so that he could kneel down in front of her so that it made it nearly impossible of her to escape his eyes "Does it hurt?" he asked as she sat nervously in fear wondering what he was getting at

"Please" Amelia replied as she fought back tears of horror before he grabbed ahold of her arm and pushed against the wound causing her to scream out in pain "Oh, God!" she cried out in tears

"Does it hurt?" Horatio yelled

"Yes. Yes. It hurts!" Amelia cried out

"Do you know how it feels! Do you finally know what it feels like!" Horatio furiously roared at her "For once, I want you to feel the pain. I want you to sit in agony so you can get the hell this place is. I hate this clinic with a passion, but yet your so called system says that this is a well equipped institute to take care of and manage the health of the people in this community" he shrieked "So you tell me? Is this a well equipped institute like the so called bullshit statement the head of healthcare says it is?" he coerced as she sobbed in pain

"No, this isn't" Amelia whimpered

"Then why is this my only option, huh? Why do you feed me this bullshit! I want the same as everyone else and I want that for my daughter! But all you people do is making impossible to get more" Horatio yelled as he didn't let up on the pressure he applied to her arm while continuing his rant as all she could do was pray that he would let up on his brutality against her

"Think about what your doing?…Maria wouldn't want…" Amelia managed to say before he gripped on tighter in anger

"Don't you dare pit my daughter against me! You made me do this, you with your fucking protocols made me do this!" Horatio screamed at her as blood began to appear through her dressing "All I need from you is to do the surgery, I don't need commentary or your opinion… you will do the surgery. So…tell me about this surgery?" he said

"This is not a surgical clinic, I would need supplies in order to do it" Amelia said through gritted teeth as the pain began to make her feel as if she could black out

"You will make it work, but your doing the surgery or else your brains will be splattered on the floor" Horatio threatened "Tell me about the surgery because in a matter of minutes I'm going to bring my daughter in here, and you will perform the surgery. I want to know every little move you'll make so if you try anything then that will give me excuse to finally kill the doctor" he taunted

* * *

An eery silence had come to the wrecked halls of the clinic as the little boy who had once been in the back room playing with the different toys had managed to escape the obstacle of fallen items that were in his way to a clean exit. He had remained in the corner, ducked down hoping that an adult or better yet, his mother, would come in to save him and his fellow playmates. All he could hear were popping sounds that came like rain fall as is pounded against the surface, it was just pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop and the occasional screams that the boy kept hearing during the mayhem but along with that set of noise came a ringing noise of explosives that were the reason of some of his playmates death. Navigating through the rumble, he could see a lifeless hand that was once an extension of young and vibrant child but now was another added member of fatality in the list of many. Tip toeing down the hall towards his mother's workstation, the young boy looked around nervously hoping that the bad guy wouldn't appear as he got closer and closer to his mother's workstation. Turning the corner he steadily saw his mother sprawled out on the floor trying her best to grab her keys, when he saw his mother that's all it took for him to run over towards his mother feeling as if he was finally safe.

"Your safe. Your safe. Thank you Jesus, thank you jesus" The woman said as she found the strength to reach over to pull her son into an embrace so that she could kiss him

"Momma we have to go" The boy replied

"I know, and we will. Momma has to stay behind and make sure that everyone else okay because that's momma's job" The woman told her son as she did her best to endure the pain

"Why?" The boy cried "Let's go" he said trying to convince his mother to escape with him "I found a way out back that we could take. Jacob and I use to play out there when I'd come" he told his mother

"That's good because momma wants you to take that way out" The woman said as he just protested to the idea "Listen, listen to me. I want you head back towards the play room and nowhere else. If you see anyone else that looks good to you, help them out but I want you to get out and tell them that there are more people in the nurses station area of the clinic" she instructed her son

"When will you come?" The boy asked

"Momma is going to come as soon as possible but I have to make sure that everyone else is okay because you know why?" The woman asked as the boy just lowered his head in sadness "Jalen Anthony Smith, you answer me when I speak to you" she said to the boy

"Because that's your job" Jalen answered sadly

"That's good. My first concern is to make sure your okay, which is why I need for you to be safe…promise me that you will do as I say and be safe" The woman said as she began to tear up towards the end "I need for you to be safe" she said trying to mask her tears with assertiveness

"I will" Jalen replied before she gave her son another kiss to his head as she just took a moment to appreciate this moment in fear of never having it again

"Mommy loves you" The woman told her son as she looked away not wanting him to see her tears "Okay, now you get going" she told her son as he slowly got up to begin his journey while all the woman could do was sob in sadness as she watched her baby boy leave as she stayed behind hoping for his safety and that she would be able to reunite with her son

* * *

Steadily making her way through the crowds and crowds of people, Charlotte was finally able to locate her colleagues as they diligently and swiftly helped the numerous victims that suffered injuries. When she had talked to Sam earlier, he had mentioned the fact that Amelia was still inside and that Horatio Lopez was the gunman that had caused a significant amount of damage, her first instinct was how Marcus was responding to all of this since he was pretty close to Amelia. Her eyes went from Sam to Addison, who walked around to each patient with a clipboard giving instructions then over towards Marcus who was putting dressing on a patient after stitching them up. As a chief of staff she knew she didn't have much time to really access what to do on the stage of showing compassion, but she knew she had to act quickly because the patient they did have were in critical condition and there were more to come. Walking over towards Charlotte after he had finished up with a patient, Sam then followed by Addison looked on at the devastation and the families that were just sobbing as they had received grim news from the patients they were unable to save and the ones that they were able to stabilize with the limited amount of resources.

"What do we have Sam?" Charlotte asked as she put her gloves on

"We have a few grazes, twenty with gun shot wounds…some have been removed from the patients and the other have hit an organ. We've lost nine so far" Sam reported as he looked over the notes that Addison took

"And this all done by one gunman?" Charlotte asked in disbelief that one person could cause this much damage

"It seemed as if he prepared for this. He was a city worker that was laid off, pretty much knew the ins and outs of the buildings in this area. He placed bombs within the insides so that's we have some critical ones…its been pretty bad" Sam said

"How is King?" Charlotte asked as they all looked over at Marcus to see how he was dealing at the moment

"He's been doing all he can to just focus on helping, but with each person we've lost its been getting to him" Addison replied "Has there been any news from the board?" she asked

"None whatsoever. They called for supplies and they just did a stalemate, so I had to override it and just give what we had in the supply closet then double our shipment order. I guess since they wanted Galveston gone it was good riddance all the way around" Charlotte said as Sam passed her the clipboard

"I wasn't exactly a big fan of the clinic, but not like this" Sam replied

"I just hope that Amelia is all right" Addison said worriedly

"Have they heard any news?" Charlotte asked "I mean last I heard was that the gunman had called in orders for surgery supplies" she said

"Wait, what?" Addison asked "Surgery supplies. This isn't a surgical clinic" she said

"Thank you for the update Montgomery. The guy that is the gunmen is the father of the girl that Amelia had to discharge due to insurance purposes" Charlotte relayed

"And now he wants her to do the surgery…now it makes sense" Addison said sadly realizing how tragic this had all become

"Do they even have the supplies for the surgery? I mean what's in there thus far?" Sam asked

"They have a few, but I'm sure she's gotten creative if he's getting pushy about it" Charlotte said "Now, I would love to get caught up but we have people to tend to. For starters though, Montgomery you need to go" she said

"Uh, Charlotte…I've been here this whole time…I think I can manage" Addison said

"That warms my heart, but I'm not risking another one of my doctors…so hand over the clipboard to one of these strapping men and find yourself a seat" Charlotte said

"Sam" Addison turned to look at her boyfriend

"I agree. It's only going to get worse and I don't want you in harms way" Sam told her

"Harms way, really? You guys are treating me like a child. We have patients left and right that are in critical condition and we need the hands" Addison said just as Jalen had made his way up to her and tugged on the back of her shirt causing her to turn around

"They need help" Jalen said as he turned to show the people he had helped out that were practically dealing with broken bones

"Okay, lets get splints going…get me tape!" Charlotte called out as she raced over towards the people immediately getting into action as Addison stood in confusion wondering if she should just start doing something other than listen to Charlotte and Sam's jovial demands

"My mom is still inside, her name is Barbara Williams…can you please go get her, she's still inside helping people but she needs someone to go get her" Jalen told Addison as he once again tugged on her sweater

"The police are doing the best they can to get people out. Can you tell me how you got out?" Addison asked as she kneeled down so that they were eye level

"I took the back way where Jacob and I use to play" Jalen said as tears welled up in his eyes as he began to feel a bit light

"Can you tell me…hey, hey!" Addison said before she began to notice his eyes roll to the back of his head before he eventually fainted. Doing her best to wake him, she pulled at his sleeve only to notice a bracelet he had around his wrist. Lifting up the sleeve, she then realized that the little boy was diabetic "Sam! I need the car keys" she called out as he walked over towards her to see the boy passed out in her arms

"Put the boy down, your not going to do anything, we'll take care of this" Sam told her but she just blocked out everything was saying

"He's diabetic, and we don't have glucagon injection. I need to get him to the hospital, so will you please shut up and get me the car keys?" Addison asked again forcefully as Sam hated to admit it but he knew that the boy had to get to St. Ambrose as soon as possible. Flipping the bracelet over to see his name, Addison slowly rose holding the boy in his arm as she just rocked him "Everything is going to be okay Jalen, everything is going to be okay" she told him

* * *

After finishing up with a patient, Marcus looked on to see that his work was nowhere near finish as there seemed to be more and more people coming out by the minute, which was good for the overall purposes that there was survivors, but not when its someone that you care about inside still. The news of Horatio wanting supplies sent in had only let him breath for a bit as he knew that he would probably force Amelia into doing the surgery. Though it was a little bit of a relief, he still couldn't manage to stop feeling as if his whole world had been put on pause. Thoughts of their last conversation and the things he had said to her ran vividly in his mind because now that he thought back to it, he realized he was a jackass for making such a big deal out of nothing or at least something they could work through. A million and one times he ran the thought of what if he would have gone with her to breakfast like she had wanted to in the first place then maybe she would have been late getting there and she would be outside helping him instead of…he knew he was being selfish and inconsiderate to those who pretty much got the confirmation that the person they cared for was no longer with them. Going over towards the ambulance truck, he grabbed a bottle of water and just couldn't help but fade away.

_[Flashback]_

_"I'm sorry about that" Marcus said as she tossed her keys onto the kitchen counter before opening the fridge to pull out a bottle of water_

_"About…?" Amelia asked unknowing what he was talking about_

_"The game tonight" Marcus said_

_"It was a good game, but nothing that made it bad for me…was it bad for you?" Amelia asked still not knowing what he was trying to say_

_"You know, all the attention I was getting…the girls" Marcus said slowly getting to his point_

_"Aw, the girls" Amelia smiled as she had no idea why he was apologizing for that "Were they your ex-screwing buddies?" she asked_

_"No. I just thought you were a little upset with all the girls smiling and winking at me…you know, because I'm Doc Hollywood" Marcus said_

_"I really didn't even notice, I was kind of paying attention to the game. That and the fact that I told you Durant was going to get double digits" Amelia said_

_"Yeah, yeah…you told me" Marcus smiled as he just couldn't understand why she was taking this so hard "But know that I wasn't trying to do anything, I mean I was there with you and I intended to put all my focus on you" he continued to say as Amelia looked at him strangely_

_"Marcus, what are you talking about?" Amelia laughed as she was finding this conversation weirder by the minute "Did you want me to be upset about other girls trying to flirt with you or do you want me to be insecure about the fact that you could have been trying to flirt back? Because I have no idea where this topic is coming from" she said_

_"Its just that most girls tend to not handle the attention to well" Marcus said_

_"I thought you didn't with other girls?" Amelia asked_

_"I haven't…but I've dated girls, it just never got passed, well we never even got to the first base. Look your missing the point, I don't want you to feel threatened by anyone or think that I don't like you" Marcus said_

_"And I don't" Amelia replied_

_"Really? C'mon it was a lot of girls…not just some here and there, I mean throughout the whole game. I had to get Jack Nickelson to hold the phone while I finished up turning down another" Marcus joked_

_"That's great, I'm glad your dedicated to something" Amelia said _

_"So your just fine with it, are you that sexually deprived to not care? I mean your suppose to care that your boyfriend is being flirted with while out with you" Marcus said_

_"Okay, let me let you in on a secret" Amelia said as she walked out of the kitchen and over to the barstool where he sat "I like you. I like you a lot, I like you more than any guy thus far…so that's a big accomplishment for you, but I love myself. I love me so much that I take myself out on dates" she told him _

_"You love you?" Marcus asked_

_"Yes, and if you want to be with the other girls then I'm not going to stand in your way because I'm not that girl and I will never be that girl. I like to think of myself as simple and chill, but jealousy is not simple and it isn't chill" Amelia replied_

_"So you don't get jealous whatsoever?" Marcus asked completely missing the point_

_"No. Look, do you know how you feel about me?" Amelia asked as he nodded_

_"Yes, I like being with you. Your different and complicated" Marcus replied "But it would help a guys ego to know if you at least cared enough to care" he said as Amelia just rolled her eyes_

_"This is about your ego?" Amelia asked_

_"It's been since the beginning. I'm aware that your all I'm woman and I can burn my bra, but sometimes you caring is like receiving a good birthday present from your friends…its rare but someone will luck up and get you something good" Marcus said_

_"You knew this when we got together" Amelia laughed "This is who I am" she said_

_"Okay, well what if I said that I get jealous when other guys at the bar wink and flirt with you" Marcus said_

_"Then that's your deal" Amelia said "Look, I like you…like for me is big, so you don't have to worry about me straying because if I did then it would only be for the sex" she said as she walked into the living room_

_"That doesn't help matters much" Marcus replied as he couldn't help but laugh _

_"Your too sensitive King" Amelia teased as he walked over to join her on the sofa_

_"So lets say if we were having sex, would you be jealous then?" Marcus asked_

_"Nope" Amelia replied_

_"Damn you, when would you be jealous?" Marcus asked_

_"I'd be jealous if I loved you" Amelia said_

_"So you don't love me?" Marcus asked_

_"Oh, my God…this is turning into twenty one questions" Amelia groaned in between laughter_

_"I'm just saying because I happen to think I'm a loveable guy" Marcus went on to say as he was just enjoying the fact that he was annoying her_

_[End of Flashback]_

* * *

She couldn't help but wince in pain as she organized her surgical tray to the best of her abilities with the very limited supplies she had. Horatio had demanded for supplies, but along with those demands came the exchange a few people go as he had began to lose interest in exacting fear in everyone else's eyes as the time passed so did his anger it seemed. Looking up at the ceiling as she lay on the table, Maria seemed as if she were saddened more than happy about receiving the very surgery her family could not afford, but she knew that this would all come with a price because everything came with a price regardless of what we think. Measuring the amount of sedation fluids in the syringe, Amelia couldn't help but notice how nervous the girl was and although she just wanted to get it all over with, she knew that in the long run she was a doctor and part of her job was to reassure the patient. Putting the syringe down, Amelia looked out to see that Horatio patrolled the hallways as if he were some sort of guard dog and knew that she had a few free moments to pick Maria's brain a bit.

"How you doing?" Amelia asked in a somewhat upbeat voice not wanting to convey the pain she felt

"I should be asking you. You're the one who is hurt, he shot you, didn't he?" Maria asked not tearing her eyes away from the ceiling

"I'm good. Removed the bullet and I'm able to get some bit of motion, enough so that I can do this surgery…so don't worry" Amelia said

"But you still got shot, I think he had the intention of killing you" Maria said as Amelia took a moment to rethink the fact that it was not far from the truth

"I don't go down that easily. I'm…I'm not easily broken I should say, I only fear myself and God" Amelia said

"Why do you fear yourself?" Amelia turned to look her as she asked

"Because sometimes I'm my own worst enemy so that just scares me, but I'm good and so you will you be" Amelia said

"I understand why you did what you did" Maria said "Letting me go. Papa doesn't know that I watch the news and read the papers…I've read so much to know that my family will never be the Trumps. I've read so much to realize that it's just how things are…I'm sorry if you think this is your fault" she said

"Yeah, well this may shock you, but I do agree with your father…not with the whole hostage thing, I believe that we should all have equal benefits and be able to lead a healthy life" Amelia said "I mean it's something that shouldn't be determined by money" she said

"Your naïve to think that" Maria laughed weakly "There is too much politics behind it all to think that we'll get equal anything. It seems like when we vote for stuff its just to stick it to the other party instead of thinking who this truly effects" she said

"Maybe so, but it could all start with one person. I like to believe that, does that make me naïve?" Amelia asked

"Somewhat" Maria smiled

"So, now that we've got that out the way…why don't get rid of this pain so you can prove to me that there is something to believe in when it comes to this corrupt system of ours" Amelia smiled down at the girl as she grabbed the syringe and injected it into her arm.

* * *

Moving around trying to find a good position in her chair, Addison began to lose hope that there was even a comfortable spot in this chair after at least two hours worth of sitting. When they got to the hospital, Jalen was immediately taken and received the glucagon injection he had needed along with the usual tests to see if everything was okay and strangely enough that was all Addison needed to know that she had least did something productive for the day. After they got him settled in a room so that they could observe him over night, Addison called Sam back to assure him that she was fine and that everything with Jalen was doing fine, which all in all he was happy with because at least he wouldn't have to worry about her while out in the field. It had taken the police so long to access what they were going to do other than just oblige with Horatio's demands seeing as they had no clear cut idea as to what else he had, people outside became agitated and even started going against the police a little bit that the sight was becoming a little unruly for just the average spectators. Newcasters showed up and tried to get the latest but the story quickly turned to the unrest of the crowd, which disturbed Addison seeing as the real focus should have been trying to get everybody else. It took everything and every ounce of spirit to just hope and pray that Amelia will be all right because…she just couldn't think of the negative, not right now. As she got caught up in the thought of the worst case scenario, Addison looked over at Jalen to see that he was beginning to stir awake from his sleep.

"Where am I?" Jalen asked still a bit groggy

"Your at St. Ambrose Hospital" Addison replied "We had to give glucagon because your blood sugar was low" she said as she moved her chair closer to him

"Where's my mom?….is she here?" Jalen asked as he tried to get out of his bed but Addison managed to stop him

"No, there hasn't been any word of your mom yet, but they're doing everything they can to get her" Addison said "So we'll just rest you up, that way when they do bring your mom by she can see that your doing fine" she told the boy hoping that would reassure him

"Will she know where to find me?" Jalen asked

"I left special instructions with on site hospital staff and they will do everything in their power to make sure she knows where to find you" Addison said as Jalen just sighed in sadness "How come you didn't take your meds? I mean your sugar got pretty low there Jalen" she asked

"My mom usually gives me my medicine and makes sure that I eat" Jalen replied sadly "I was suppose to come at twelve to get my shot and my lunch but their was a lot of screaming…so I thought I should just stay put until she comes to get me. There's always screaming there, but she always gets me" he said as tears welled up in his eyes which made it hard for Addison herself not to become emotional

"Well I think she's still trying to get to you, I have faith in that" Addison replied "But I think your mom is going to be extremely proud of you though, I mean you saved some people today by you helping them out…you said that's where your friend and you used to play" she said

"My mom told me to, she said to help other along the way if I could" Jalen said

"That's good words to live by, you should remember that" Addison smiled

"Won't your mommy be worried about you?" Jalen asked her as she took a moment to think of how to answer without becoming to emotional with the memory of Bizzy rushing to her

"She knows I can take care of myself, and if I can't then she knows that I have people looking out for me…just like you have" Addison smiled

"It's just my mom and I…I don't have anyone else" Jalen replied sadly

"You have me. Right now, you have me…and I happen to think I'm very good company, and excellent at cards" Addison said before she leaned over towards the bedside drawer to pull out a deck of cards "I put you in my favorite room because this is the only room with a deck of cards" she smiled at him

"I only know how to play go fish" Jalen replied a little happy

"Then we play go fish" Addison smiled as she pulled the cards out and put them in between them

* * *

They had put in a full day of work, with the survival side a slight behind as the amount of people dying on them had started to consecutive due to the fact that by the time they had come to them they were all ready sick from something else. Charlotte and Sam were slowly becoming effected by the deaths but they just kept pushing through because their was more to save and they couldn't dwindle away time just being sorry for themselves. There was a few sprinkled in between that they managed to stabilize but that was becoming very few. With the night coming upon them, slowly but surely most of the people that were once inside the clinic were either out with their families or getting treated so that was something that made them a bit hopeful at the end of the day, but still no word had come back on Amelia. Occasionally they'd look over to see how Marcus was doing and he'd seem pretty together but they knew that looks could be deceiving at this point. Focusing in on her patient, Charlotte quickly saw that her patient was turning for the worst as she began to go into a seizure. Noticing that her patient was having an attack, Marcus quickly rushed over to help Charlotte move away the items that surrounded the woman and then grabbed a blanket to make a pillow out of to make the woman comfortable. Once the woman had stopped seizing they grabbed her hand to check her pulse and could see that she was losing consciousness. Leaning over to grab the air pump, Marcus put it over her mouth and began to pump. Over and over and over again he did the same thing while at first Charlotte attempted to help but when she felt that there no pulse after a good three minutes she sat back in disbelief while Marcus still tried. Charlotte began to notice a group of people gather around in sadness as if they knew the woman that was laying there while Marcus just kept on trying.

"Call it" Charlotte told Marcus as he just kept doing CPR on the woman

"No, we still have a bit of a pulse" Marcus breathed heavily

"She's been non responsive for five minutes" Charlotte said choking back the tears that were coming to her "Call it" she said weakly

"I'm not calling it!" Marcus yelled "She needs our help and I'm giving it" he said continuing on as Charlotte looked over at Sam for help. Walking over towards Marcus, Sam kneeled down next to him

"There's nothing else we can do" Sam said

"Just shut up! Shut up!" Marcus yelled as he continued on

"C'mon" Sam said trying to help him away from the woman but Marcus quickly pushed his hands off of him and continued on once again while all they could do was look on at him

"She has to live. She will…she needs our help and I'm not going to stop" Marcus said as he slowly began to realize that nothing he was dong was saving this woman. The realization had hit but he figured that if he just kept trying that some sort of miracle would happen while the humming sounds of the people that surrounded them began to fill the air, it appeared to be a gospel song as Marcus listened closely

"Time of death?" Sam turned to whisper to Charlotte as he pulled his sheet out to write it down

"No!" Marcus cried out "You will not call it! Do not call it!" he continued to yell "No more, there can't be anymore because if she lives…then there's hope…there's hope that she's still alive, and I need her to be alive" he broke down in to tears "I need her to be alive" he said in between sobs

"5:34 P.M." Charlotte said before she pulled Marcus towards her as all he did was sob in her arms while Sam looked on at the people humming along to a familiar church song that he had heard when he was little. Walking over towards the now lifeless body, Sam flipped over the nurses tag

"Barbara Williams" Sam said to himself beginning to realize that this was the woman that Addison had told him to look out for because her son had told her about his mother and how she was helping others

* * *

Looking on at the still sedate Maria, Amelia took her gloves off and immediately made her way out of the room to the hallway to see Horatio sitting down against the wall looking as if he had been crying. Amelia stood for a moment, allowing him to have his moment as she realized that everything that he had done was beginning to weigh on him as the clinic that was once filled with horrified patients had all been released. A part of her felt sad for him that even though that he had caused her such great pain that he was dealing with something far more painful than she ever could imagine. The feeling of being helpless when you know there are options are out there that could save your child, that's something that she hadn't experienced but through this man she saw that if someday she would ever become a parent that she would do anything to protect them and ensure their safety. A few moment of pain sensations plagued her but not enough that made her unable to do anything but she knew it would probably set in after the initial shock wore off. Looking up at Amelia, Horatio cleaned himself up so that he had least looked somewhat intimidating to her even if she had seen him at his weakest moment. Kneeling down in front of him, Amelia noticed that he held the gun so loosely that if she wanted to she could take it from him but at this point she saw no use in escalating things because as they were things were pretty bad for him.

"She's doing good. She's just sleeping off the sedative but she should experience no pain after this" Amelia told him as he just nodded in contentment

"Did she feel anything?" Horatio asked weakly

"No, the only pain she may feel when she wakes up will probably be from the incision but that will go away" Amelia said as a moment of silence came between them "You did the right thing…by letting everyone go" she told him

"I don't care about the others" Horatio said as if he truly could care less about everyone else but his daughter "Maria's mother called, she's lighting candles for me…she says my soul has been tainted by the devil" he laughed to himself "She forgets that our daughter needed this…but I'm tainted by the devil" he said weakly

"Maria will be better because of you. I don't agree with the method in which you took but she will be better" Amelia said

"I just want the best for my daughter. I mean we've known for the longest about this disease, but we always figured if she had a healthy life that it would go away…that she'd still be able to be normal. When she had to stop going to school, we put her in home school because she couldn't manage to sit without getting agitated and the teachers said she was disrupting the class when she'd move so much" Horatio said

"Figures that a teacher would say that" Amelia said as she could think back to the many of annoying teachers she had as a kid

"She'd play sports but she couldn't anymore because the coaches thought her condition was too serious to risk her getting hurt. It was like piece by piece her life was being taken away from her, and all I could do was shuttle her from the clinic back to hear different results from the doctors about when things would get better. No one would tell me the truth, no one would say anything that was significant to her" Horatio recalled

"And that's what brought you to St. Ambrose, that's what landed me here" Amelian concluded

"You always see the big fancy hospitals and hear about their world class surgeons but you think surely the medical attention I receive is the same…the doctors at my facility care enough about me to want to see me get better. The more I got the run around, the more I kept passing St. Ambrose and just kept thinking about what difference would it be. I came to St. Ambrose because I had reached my last option…I had hope in God that I just needed to swallow my pride and take my daughter to a place she had every right to be in. It's funny because even when I pulled into the parking lot, I felt like my prayers were answered…like the sophistication had seeped into my skin or something" Horation told her

"That night, when I had to discharge her…I didn't want to, I would have done anything in my power to help but I just couldn't…that's why I'm came to the clinic, I wanted to help" Amelia said

"Yeah, well most doctors that make special appearances here only want to be seen as doing some sort of charity rather than really trying to help" Horatio shrugged

"I like to pride myself that I won't be that doctor someday" Amelia replied

"You will be, you say that now but you will" Horatio told her as a silence came between them before Horatio just laughed to himself "I'm surprised your little boyfriend isn't in here trying to protect your honor" he laughed sadly

"No, he had the stance like many…that this place is dangerous, and not worth saving" Amelia replied finding it a bit odd that Horatio seemed to be human "How do you know he was my boyfriend?" she then asked

"When a man steps in to protect the woman he for, that's always a sign" Horatio replied to her "Besides, I've seen you two on the tv screen at the Lakers games…living your rich doctor lives" he shrugged

"I'm actually not rich…but I'm sure you don't want to hear about my financial status" Amelia said as he turned to look at her which made her realize that money was a topic they should talk about

"How long before Maria wakes up?" Horatio asked as he got up from the floor

"She should be up in twenty minutes or so" Amelia said

"Okay" Horatio said as he just nodded his head as if he were thinking about something else "And she'll be fine?" he asked again

"Yeah, she'll be fine. I'll see to it that she will be" Amelia promised as she looked on at Horatio strangely as he walked over to take a few minutes to look on at his daughter in sadness before turning back towards her

"I may have done wrong today, but I'll do wrong a million times if she could sleep in peace like the way she is right now. All I ever wanted was for her to be happy…and I'll always want to give that to her" Horatio said before he walked over towards the door

"What are you doing?" Amelia asked as she got up from the floor to walk over towards where he was

"Make sure they know where she is. I left all my information in her purse…just make sure she is fine, so I'm going to need you to stay with her for a few moments" Horatio told her as he had stoned look on his face

"You could stay with her until she wakes up, trust me the cops aren't going anywhere. Maria would want to see your face though" Amelia said

"No she wouldn't" Horatio replied sadly "I've disappointed her. Its written all over her face that her father has let her down and has hurt so many people" he replied "But no matter what I've done, I will make this right" he said before he put his hand on the rail to open the door as Amelia wanted to stop him but she knew that regardless he would be captured

"Horatio, just stay until she wakes" Amelia pleaded before he just looked back at her with a weak smile

"Thank you" Horatio said with tears in his eyes "Thank you for giving her life back" he said before he made his way outside.

* * *

Marcus nearly froze as he saw Horatio make his way outside with the gun hanging loosely in his hands, scanning the crowd he had hoped that Amelia had made her way out but he still couldn't manage to see much but the swarming of the police officers as they held their positions with their guns pointed at Horatio.

For a moment, Amelia looked on at the sight knowing that he was trying to make peace with himself but most of all with his family for the events that transpired. She partially felt responsible for his actions as a whole list of what if's rang through and through but still lead her back to this moment…looking on at the man that just wanted the best for his daughter.

He was a monster to those that watched on with horror as he had finally showed his face to the world. The man that had taken loved ones away, the man that harmed the lives of children, the man that destroyed the only medical clinic that most in this community could afford. Every face he saw, it stuck with him more than the guns that were pointed at him. In and out he would hear the chief of police yelling out demands but it couldn't mask the white noise that just surrounded him. It all had become too much as he just without push or force, dropped to his knees.

Hearing Maria begin to stir awake, Amelia looked on at Horatio one final time before she reluctantly backed away slowly. Tears slowly ran down her face as she knew in her heart that today was the saddest of days, today was a day that being God like meant nothing unless you had dome something to help those that needed it most. Turning slowly she made her way back to Maria to see the girl staring up at the ceiling with tears in her eyes.

Grabbing onto her shoulder, Sam pulled Charlotte close to him as all the attention had been turned towards Horatio. Closing his eyes, Sam began to say a prayer that he hoped Addison and his son were somewhere safe…and then he just began to pray that those he held dear to his heart would be protected. Looking on at Sam as he just mumbled to himself with closed eyes, she slowly pulled away so that she could grab onto his hand. As she closed her eyes she slowly felt a hand grab her other free hand and for a moment she turned to see that it was a woman that she had helped earlier on in the day, smiling at Charlotte weakly, the woman soon closed her eyes as she too began to pray and like a chain effect someone had grabbed onto Sam's hand and all stood in spiritual silence.

The chief of police began to yell angrily as his patience wore thin with Horatio while the officers slowly took their position to prepare themselves for the kill shot. Giving one final glance of the crowd, Horatio looked over to see a group of people standing with their hands joined together with their hands linked together in prayer. He smiled weakly as the tears began to fall uncontrollably down his face. Giving a slight nod he had found his peace, and had hoped that at least one prayer would be for his soul. In an instant he quickly put the gun up to his head.

Slowly making his way through the crowd, Marcus felt his heart speed up with every step that he took as he looked on. He had no time to think of the tragedy that was about to ensue but his only concern was to get to her. Pushing through the crowd almost effortlessly it distracted him from all that was going on.

Pop! That was the sound they had all heard throughout the tragedy and it was the final sound they were left with as Horatio body dropped to floor lifelessly. Putting their weapons down, half the crowd erupted in cheer as the rest just stood somberly looking on at the man that had committed suicide.

Racing passed the police, Marcus nearly became overwhelmed as he passed Horatio's body but kept his original focus which was to get to her. Opening the door, he looked on at all the blood that appeared in sporadic places but came from any number of people and almost felt like he could throw up at any moment just by the sight. Coming out of the room, Amelia looked on at Marcus like he was a mirage as he just ran towards her and pulled her into him. She felt so out of body as he just held her but it all came to her that today…today wasn't a good day, and just like that she began to break down in his arms into tears. Rubbing her back he just soothed her in any way possible, promising her that everything was okay after giving her a kiss on the head as she continued to cry.

* * *

Walking down the hall, Sam felt relieved to finally get away from the sadness of what had happened only hours ago. It was early morning by the time he made his way to the hospital to meet up with Addison, but he still felt as if a part of him was left back outside in the parking lot of Galveston Clinic looking on at the horror of the dead bodies. Reaching the room, he stopped for a moment as just silently cried to himself as he didn't want Addison to see him at such a weak state. What felt like hours of standing to himself, he quickly cleaned himself up the best he could before he entered into the room to see Jalen and Addison playing cards together. Addison quickly pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek before she just pulled back to look at him, for a moment she believed that everything was fine but she knew him well enough to know that he had been crying…that something bad had happened. Shaking her head in fear she still remain conscious that Jalen was behind them, so she controlled her emotions as best as she could so that he couldn't see, she held both sides of his face to make him look at her as with her eyes she asked him what had happened. Taking a moment to process, he then turned his look towards Jalen, who sat in his bed playing with his cards.

"What happened?" Addison whispered to him as the tears welled up in her eyes

"Uh…she, she went into cardiac arrest…and we couldn't…we couldn't do anything from there" Sam replied

"And Amelia?" Addison asked as she took a moment to process the fact that Jalen's mother, his family…was now dead.

"Marcus got to her, she's fine…she got shot in the arm but she removed the bullet herself" Sam told her "What do we do?" he asked her as he looked on at Jalen

"Did you give over the list to the police?" Addison asked

"Yes. They've notified most of the families" Sam told her

"And they know where Jalen is?" Addison asked

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Sam asked her wondering what she was getting at

"Then all we do is be there for him. He has no one and he'll need someone when he receives the news" Addison said before she gave Sam a final look that said to just have faith in what she is doing is right before she turned to join Jalen. "Have you been cheating while I was away?" she asked with a slight laugh

"No, I just organized my cards" Jalen laughed as Sam looked on at the two of them together.

"All right, I'll take your word for it" Addison smiled as she picked up her cards

"Have you heard anything about my mom? Is she looking for me?" Jalen asked as Addison took a moment to think

"No, but I'm sure we'll hear something soon" Sam said as he walked over to join them

"See, there you go" Addison smiled at the boy "So will I get a chance to avenge my losses" she said

"You lost at goldfish?" Sam asked as he looked at her and just laughed

"I'm not good at cards" Addison replied "I'm not good at anything" she said

"I'll teach you, its very easy" Jalen told her as he began to shuffle the cards while Addison and Sam just looked at each other.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thank you all once again for the reviews and I hope to hear more feedback from you.**


	16. It's a Guy Thing

**Author's Note: I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update. I wasn't sure if people were still reading Addisam fics seeing as Shonda has put us all on brain farts with the crappy story telling she's doing. I have to admit that I kind of lost interest in the show because its kind of like when you lose your fave couple, then your like why even watch...and then I really don't care too much for the other characters to tune in weekly. I do still love me some Addisam, I just wish the writing was better for them so even if they aren't together that people can still tune in and like the show but I feel like the show has had a disconnect in that area for me personally. I do love this story though, so it took a loyal reader of this story to come and tell me to update for me to realize that I need to get my lazy ass together and bang out a chapter, so I thank the reviewer that sent that message because I did appreciate that. So I hope this story will become your safe haven away from the crappy Addisam, Shonda is selling and that you can seek comfort with the two couples Sam/Addie, Amelia/Marcus. So I hope you enjoy, and please please review because believe me...get reviews will force an author to get back to the story sooner than later. So enjoy.**

Chapter Sixteen- It's a Guy Thing

Gripping on tight to her pillow, she lay somewhat peacefully in the bed but the cold sweats left him worrisome. Sitting by her bedside in fear that if he woke that the dream of having her beside him once again would just be that…a dream. Beginning to squirm a bit in her sleep she just tried to keep her eyes close in hopes that she could muster through the nightmare she was having, but she found it all too surreal. Pop! Pop! She heard ringing in her ears as if she was reliving it all over again until she just couldn't take it anymore. Quickly sitting up in the bed, Amelia began to feel as if the walls were closing in on her as she breathed heavily in hopes that the nightmare would end. Coming to her side, Marcus began to rub her back trying to calm her down before he literally had to move her legs so that they were hanging from the bed so she could see that she was on solid ground. Holding her close he just kept telling her soothing words letting her know that she would be fine.

"It's okay. It's okay" Marcus kept repeating to her as he rocked her back in forth in his arms for a few moments until she finally calmed

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry" Amelia said coming to the realization that she had just had a panic attack as she just shook her head while breaking away from his embrace

"Don't apologize, its fine" Marcus told her

"Then I'm sorry for saying I'm sorry" Amelia said as he just smiled at her

"That could work" Marcus laughed as he pulled a strand of hair away from her face while looking on at her adoringly "If anyone should be saying sorry, it should be me" he said sadly

"Why?" Amelia asked unaware as to what he was speaking about

"About how I treated you before. I completely over reacted to our disagreement and I just…I wish that if I would have worked it out…maybe things would have turned out differently all around" Marcus said

"Yeah, well things won't…I'm sorry if that sounded like a total bitch thing to say" Amelia said then realized that the way she said it wasn't the greatest way "What's happened has happened and we can't go back" she replied

"Your right" Marcus said as he began to take a few breaths as he felt his heart rate soar uncontrollably

"Are you all right?" Amelia asked looking on at him

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just…I'm just thinking" Marcus said as he began to fan himself for air finding the air coming in shortages for him "I just really think about what happened last night and where my mind was. I kept trying to be positive because you were doing the surgery and he needed you, but…my mind was everywhere. I just kept running through my head what life would be like if I didn't have you complaining about me not putting the dishes up or my snoring or just anything anymore…and I got scared. So I need you to make me a promise" he said taking her hand

"Okay" Amelia laughed nervously as she had no idea as to where he was going with this

"I need you to do all that you can to stick around. I mean really be around, so if you have some gut feeling that causes you to keep yourself hidden away in the house all year long, then I complete support it" Marcus said as she just laughed

"All right, if I get that way then I'll be glad to know you support it" Amelia smiled as he just took a sigh of relief before he leaned in to give her a quick kiss. As he slowly pulled away he couldn't help but look into her eyes to see something that seemed as a confirmation to him that everything was gong to be fine. Bringing his other hand up to her face he held her face in between his hands before he slowly leaned in to kiss her once more. The kiss started off sweet before he simply just wanted her in any way possible. Laying her back on the bed, they both quickly removed their shirts before he lead a trail of kisses up from her stomach as her hands ran wild through his hair. Staring up at the ceiling she took deep breaths as she still felt a twinge of pain from her gunshot wound but the sensation she was feeling from his kisses were numbing the pain out completely. Finally coming all the way up to capture his lips, he pinned her hands back as he began his attack on her neck as she let out slight moans of ecstasy that rang loudly in his ears. Pulling her up with him as he sat up on his knees, her hands began to trail down to his pants as she eagerly began to tug at them in need of him. Unzipping his pants, he undid the clasps of her bra before he stopped to look on at her beauty. Slowly pulling her bra off with his hand, she looked at him to make sure this was something that he was really ready for before their eyes met. Leaning in she captured his lips as the kiss intensified as they lay back on the bed.

* * *

Going into the bathroom, Addison put on her earrings as she stood in the mirror so she could see what exactly she was doing. It had been a task that she had done like second nature ever since she could basically walk, and as she stood there she couldn't help but have thoughts flood her. Everything from the shooting and just how everything went down with her patient killing her child, everything seemed to all come crashing down on her and just how crazy the past couple of days had been for everyone at the practice. Hearing the sounds of Sam rummaging through the drawers that caused her to tear away from her thoughts and come back to the immediate moment. Heading back into the bedroom, Sam looked over at the red head with a smile on his face but it soon disappeared once he saw that she was deep in thought. He knew that whenever she was deep in thought that she was seriously going over her life and all things included whenever she was that deep in thought. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Sam went over to join her, not really wanting to pressure her into talking but to let her know that he would wait until she was ready to start talking.

"Your doing that whole if I sit here and wait then she'll start talking, right?" Addison asked him

"Basically" Sam laughed "What's going on?" he asked as he tucked away a strand of her hair behind her ear "Why are you so deep in thought?" he then asked

"Because…I can't help it" Addison reasoned

"Okay, well what are you thinking about while your all deep in thought?" Sam asked

"Your breaking your own plan. Your not suppose to ask, your suppose to wait until I divulge" Addison said

"Well seeing as we have to head to the practice in about an hour, as well as stopping to grab your muffin that you like…I think you'll be talking soon" Sam laughed as she just hit him in the side

"Okay, fine. Only because your right about the muffin" Addison finally gave in "I can't help but think about Jalen, I can't help but feel for him and what happened with his mother" she sighed

"Yeah, it was…that day was surreal" Sam replied "Everything with Amelia being held hostage, then Horatio killing himself, then Jalen…it was a lot" he said

"A lot in which things stay with you, things that you should be able to see as it being a part of the job but…that day was not suppose to be a part of the job" Addison said

"So what has you thinking about Jalen?" Sam asked

"I just wish we could have done more for him. I think of Jalen then I think Betsy and what happened with her" Addison said

"And some how I knew you'd take it back to Betsy" Sam sighed

"Yes, I'm taking it back there because it was a mistake. One of us, we, could have given her a home. We're doctors for crying out loud, we make more than enough to support a child…and I just feel like ever since then that things haven't been right, like its been some daunting thing over our head that we have yet to admit" Addison babbled

"But Jalen is different" Sam reasoned

"How is he different? He lost his mother, his mother was the only person he ever knew" Addison said

"He has a father" Sam said

"A father? Why wasn't the father down at the hospital when his son nearly died from a diabetic attack?" Addison questioned

"Okay, I'll grant that…but there situations are different" Sam replied "Whether you like it or not, he has a father…a father that is coming in sometime this week to come get his son" Sam said as Addison quickly rose from her seat on the bed "And now your upset" he detected

"Yes, I'm upset!" Addison declared "I'm upset because we keep making these excuses to just let kids that we see are in trouble go into the system" she said "That upsets me" she told him as she grabbed her purse

"So I take this as a sign that we're not going to get that muffin?" Sam asked

"No, Sam…we're not getting the damn muffin" Addison said as she left the room while Sam got up to follow behind as they walked down the staircase

"You know, the point of us discussing things is where we both hear each other out" Sam said

"I don't like what your saying, so I just took the out route" Addison replied

"But it can't be that way" Sam said

"Grab the keys Sam" Addison told him not wanting to continue on with the conversation

"Not until we talk about this. I mean your thinking about this and I think we should talk about this rather than let it fester" Sam said

"Okay, I'll get the keys" Addison said as she went over to grab her car keys

"Now what are you doing?" Sam asked her

"I'm driving in to work" Addison said before she made her way out of the house

* * *

When he had woke up that morning, he was surprised to see that she wasn't there next to him. He knew that Amelia wasn't the kind of girl that would go downstairs a make breakfast for them, so he knew that would not be the case as to why she wasn't there. Getting ready for work, the conclusion had finally come to him that she had headed into the office, which he did find a bit odd since everything that had just happened. On his way into work he the final thoughts of the step they had taken had finally began to dawn on him as something that had been years in the making, he had finally slept with Amelia but what did it mean. He knew that by him sleeping with her didn't make her just any girl to him. What did this all mean? he kept asking himself and the answer just didn't come easy to him or at all. Coming off the elevator, he looked through his blackberry at all of his e-mails, making mental notes to who he had to get back to and what patients charts he had to look over once again before he noticed Amelia sitting in her office. Making a detour from his pathway to his office, Marcus stood at the doorway of her office as he looked on at her go about her work.

"Hey" Marcus said breaking her concentration

"Hey, you made it" Amelia smiled weakly at him as she went back to her work before he made his way inside

"Yeah, I mean I have three consultations and one surgery today…so yeah, I made it….I think that's a longer answer than you intended to hear" Marcus said finding that he was babbling like an idiot "When did you leave?" he asked

"Oh, I…I couldn't really sleep. I had to come in early so I just came in" Amelia said

"Yeah, because you have things…things that you need to do. So you had trouble sleeping…even after, I mean you had trouble still?" Marcus asked

"I had to get in early…I had to get work done" Amelia said as she rose from her seat with her files in her hand "I don't think I can do lunch today because I have back to back surgeries, so I'll just see you tonight" she said as she began to walk over towards him unsure if she should kiss him or just walk past him. While they struggled with how they should leave each other, Sam walked up standing on the outside of the doorway looking at the awkward exchange

"Hello" Sam greeted them both

"Hello" Amelia and Marcus replied awkwardly

"Well I'll see you later" Amelia smiled before she left the office while Sam just looked on at his friend wondering why things were so off for them

"You want to talk about it?" Sam asked

"No, not really" Marcus quickly replied

"Yeah, yeah. It's probably best that you don't talk about your girlfriend, who was held hostage by the parent whom she turned down due to insurance reason, in which he ended up killing himself" Sam said sarcastically

"Okay, fine" Marcus gave in realizing the point "This morning, we…we did it" he said

"Did what?" Sam asked

"We did it" Marcus said

"What did you do?" Sam asked again

"We had sex. We had sex for the first time" Marcus replied

"Oh…wait, you two haven't had sex yet?" Sam asked

"No, for reasons I don't care to get into at this moment, but we had it and now…now, I'm confused" Marcus replied

"How does that make you confused?" Sam asked with a bit of laughter in his voice

"Because when one as my self doesn't have sex for quite some time…" Marcus said before Sam interrupted

"As in haven't had sex period or you and Amelia haven't had sex?" Sam asked

"As in haven't had sex" Marcus quickly replied "Look, I haven't…now we have, and I have no idea how…you know" he said

"You have no idea how you were" Sam concluded "Usually during sex a woman can give indications of if she liked it or not" he said

"I know, but there were no indications that I could remember. I mean we both enjoyed it, but we didn't have that after moment" Marcus said

"So you want to know if she liked the sex?" Sam asked

"I thought we all ready concluded that" Marcus said

"Yeah, we have. Look just ask her" Sam suggested

"I can't ask her that. I'm supposed not care about that, I'm supposed be above that" Marcus said

"But your clearly not, so just ask" Sam told him "Amelia is more than open to talking about sex, so she'll tell what you need to know" he said

"You see that's the thing, what if I was bad and then she tells me…then we have this whole awkwardness of bad sex" Marcus said

"This is a lot sex to handle all in one morning" Sam laughed "There is nothing really I can tell you but just talk to Amelia" he said as he began to walk over to his office

"Your no help" Marcus called out in frustration as he stewed in his pot of confusion even further

* * *

Sitting in her car, she looked on at the place finding herself critiquing more than just observing like she had intended. With her dark shades on, she did her best to seem low key and of the normal but there was no way to hide the fact that she was definitely spying on the foster home that the little boy was placed in. Deciding to just grab the bull by the horns, Addison pulled into the parking lot and parked her car before she casually got out of the car. Smoothing out her dress so that she was presentable and not some whack job off the street, Addison began to make her way over to the entrance of the building. Just as she was taking the long walk of contemplation and the need to just see for herself mentality, her cell phone began to ring. Looking down at her cell phone she saw that it was none other than Sam calling, a part of her wanted to see this as a sign but she knew regardless that she couldn't allow Sam to change her mind. Entering into the building, she was greeted by one of the employees and while she struggled to find a good reason as to why she was there, she quickly spotted Jalen sitting off at a table by himself while the other kids gathered around another just laughing and talking.

"I'm here to see Jalen Williams" Addison said as she couldn't tear her eyes off of the little boy

"And you are?" The woman asked

"I'm…I'm his physician. I was the treating doctor, and I need to do a check up to see if he is progressing" Addison said finding a great excuse

"We have an on staff doctor, I have heard no word about you Ms….?" The woman said trying to figure out who she was

"Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery" Addison said knowing that Sam's jokes about her having three name made it sound so powerful than the regular last name, and in this case the woman did seem to buy it

"He's over there. Do you need his chart?" The woman asked

"I have one all ready" Addison said pulling out papers that she had printed out for the sales at Bloomingdales as a fake files before she made her way over to Jalen. Nervously making her way in front of the table so that Jalen could see her clearly, Jalen looked up but only looked a bit saddened to see the red head

"What do you want?" Jalen asked still a little upset with her

"I came by to see you. To see how you were doing" Addison smiled "So…how are you?" she asked

"I hate it here" Jalen replied

"I bet, I mean I don't think this place is desirable but I'm sure you won't be in here long. I hear your father is going to come and get you, so that will be good, something for you to look forward to" Addison said

"I don't know my father" Jalen replied as he began to play with his crayons

"That's right, you did mention that its always been you and your mom" Addison said realizing that she made a mistake by bringing up his mother

"Why are you here? You gave me away, so you don't have to come see me" Jalen said

"I didn't give you away" Addison laughed nervously "Look, there was certain rules that we had to follow and I had to" she said

"The rules suck" Jalen then said

"Yes, they tend to" Addison said "But this could all work out, this could give you a chance to spend time with your father and get to know all the manly things in life" she said trying to dress it up as nice as possible

"What happened to the body?" Jalen then asked

"What do you mean?" Addison asked unsure as to what he was talking about

"My mom. Where did they put her body?" Jalen asked

"They…they buried her…you were there, right? I mean you were supposed to be there" Addison said as she tried to read the young boy

"Where do the bodies go?" Jalen asked

"Uh….they, um….they…" Addison said realizing that the young boy hadn't even seen the body or was allowed to be a part of a decent burial for his mother. Pushing through, Addison mustered up enough strength to inform the boy of what the burial process would've been like for the boy.

* * *

Doing his best to plow through his work, Marcus just found himself stuck in a funk of everything that was his relationship with Amelia. It had all been about him making sure the relationship they had would last, then it came down to having a stupid disagreement, then leading up to him being scared out of his mind of losing his girlfriend, and then his biggest point…finally them sleeping together only to wonder if the sex was even good for her. Usually he was secure enough to not care about if the girl enjoyed the sex, but since he did care…it was killing him that his whole sexual prowess was such a toss up. Throwing down his pen onto the desk in pure frustration, he saw it as impossible to focus on work when his mind was practically everywhere else. Getting up from his chair, he needed to get away from the work, he needed to talk to someone and just as the thought entered into his head, Sam came walking by as he was showing one of his patients out. Rushing out of his office, Marcus tried to play like he wasn't that eager to talk but he was more than eager in so many ways.

"And I'll see you in two weeks at the same time" Sam told his patient as his patient boarded the elevator just before the doors closed

"I'm going crazy. I mean how do you just text someone or even talk about that type of question?" Marcus asked catching Sam off guard

"Okay, I'll pretend to know what your talking about….have you seen Addison?" Sam then asked him "Don't you have a case with her?" he continued to ask

"No, but your missing the point" Marcus said "What do I do?" he asked

"I haven't missed the point. I've managed to come up missing when it comes to a redhead" Sam said as he pulled his cell phone out and began to dial her while making his way towards his office

"She's probably at the hospital" Marcus told him as he followed behind

"Tried that, not there" Sam replied taking a seat while he began to punch away at his cell phone

"I understand that but I think my problem…"Marcus tried to say before Sam cut him off

"Are you seriously comparing your sex life to my pregnant girlfriend being missing? I mean are you really comparing the two?" Sam questioned as Marcus had to admit that they didn't add up

"Fine, I'll be the supportive friend, but I want the same in return" Marcus said as he pulled out his cell phone to see if Addison had contacted him about anything

"Yeah, yeah, yeah" Sam waved off just as the receptionist came up to the door

"Dr. Bennett, someone is here to see you" The receptionist told him as he got up from his seat to follow the receptionist out to greet a man standing off at the receptionist desk

"Hi, I'm Dr. Bennett" Sam greeted the man, who seemed a bit fidgety

"Where is he?" The man asked as he began to look around

"Where is who?" Sam asked

"The kid. Where is the kid" The man replied once more

"Uh….I'm not sure I know who your referring to" Sam said as the man pulled out a piece of paper with a name written on it. Noticing the man straining to read the paper, Sam hesitantly looked over at the paper "Jalen. Your Jalen's father, right?" he then asked once he saw the name

"Yes" The man replied

"Well, he's at a foster home right now, but now that you're here…" Sam began to tell him before he interrupted

"He's all ready in a home?" The man asked

"Yes, but since you're his…" Sam said before he was once again cut off

"If he's all ready in a home, then I don't understand the reason for the calls. He's taken care of so everything is fine" The man said

"No, I'm pretty sure everything is not fine. He lost his mother and is now in a foster home. With you being here, he can be with family and still get that stability from his parent" Sam told him finding it a bit confusing why he thought his son being in a foster home was best

"Look, I have a wife…until the phone calls, she had no idea that I had a kid. My marriage is important to me and I have three kids all ready…adding another will only put more strain" The man said

"But its not just another…this is your son. The son you had in a previous relationship, who just lost his mother. Sir, I'm not sure your understanding the magnitude of this situation" Sam said trying to keep his composure

"I understand the magnitude, I have a family that is being effected by this" The man siad

"So why show up? Why bother coming?" Sam asked him becoming irritated with the man

"I came because I thought the kid had no home, but since he's all ready in a foster home then I'm sure he will be placed in a good home" The man said

"This is your son!" Sam yelled at the man "What don't you understand? Foster house isn't a home…it's a freakin house, not a home for crying out loud" he said angrily

"And I'm telling you that I'm not able to give him what he wants. I'm handling my responsibilities" The man replied

"Your responsibilities are to your kid. I just don't see how you can make that statement and then think your kid is perfectly fine in a foster home? How is that handling your responsibilities?" Sam laughed to himself just as Marcus made his way out towards them

"Is everything all right?" Marcus asked

"And who are you?" The man asked

"Dr. King" Marcus told the man

"I want to sign over my rights, the kid doesn't know me…so there is no need to shake up his world" The man replied as Sam just paced the floor trying to keep his emotions in check as Marcus stepped forward

"Are you Jalen's father?" Marcus asked looking from Sam to the man

"Yes" The man said

"No, your not a father….you're an excuse of one because any man who can just rationalize not taking care of one of his kids is far from a father" Sam replied angrily

"Sam" Marcus said

"Sign over your rights…here, lets put it down on a piece of paper and just get it over with" Sam said as he walked over and grabbed a paper from behind the desk to grab a piece of paper "Write down all the mumbo jumbo you need to, but do it now" he told the man as both Sam and Marcus looked on at each other just as the man stepped forward and did just that…signed over his son in one fail swoop of a pen.

"There. There it is" The man said as he threw down his pen "Don't call me anymore" he said as Marcus walked over towards him and escorted him over towards the elevator

"Sir….one thing" Marcus said just as the elevator doors opened and the man turned to look at him "Go to hell" he said before he looked him dead in the eyes then walked away giving Sam a pat on the back for handling the situation much better than he would have

* * *

Pulling into the driveway, Sam was more than happy to see Addison's car in the driveway. With everything that had happened today he was just glad to know that she was okay and was safe, he knew that this morning they hadn't really left on good terms though it wasn't bad enough that made him worry too much, but any day at the practice where she wasn't there didn't feel right to him. The visit from Jalen's father still rang loudly in his mind as he couldn't shake how someone could just give up their kid like that without even a moment to think. He had always felt like to himself, he was a bad father because he couldn't keep his marriage together for Maya, but in his heart of hearts he felt he always had to strive to be a good father much less reach great father status. Entering into the home, he took a deep sigh as he was just glad that this day was over finally. Putting his briefcase down on by the coat rack, he began to loosen up his tie as he made his way inside the house.

"Addison. Addie, I'm home" Sam called out as he walked into the kitchen to see that she had ordered pizza for the night "And I see you've been craving pizza" he said to himself before he grabbed a piece of pizza as he began to munch on it while heading back out to the living room "Addie, what are you doing?" he asked

"I'm coming" Addison said as she made her way down the stairs

"Good. I was worried about you today….where were you?" Sam quickly asked her

"I had to take care of something" Addison said with a serious look on her face that worried him

"Take care of something? Like what?…is the baby okay?" Sam asked becoming worried

"Yes, the baby is fine. I'm fine. I just had to do something that I hope we'll be able to get through" Addison said "Because I want you to be on board with this, and I want you to understand" she told him

"Now your kind of scaring me, and I'm not sure how I feel about your lead in….I had a rough day at work and I was worried so…" Sam said as Jalen made his way down the staircase causing him to turn his attention away from Addison to the little boy coming into the living room all ready dressed in pajamas

"I wanted to talk to you about him" Addison said as Sam looked on at the boy

"Yeah, I think we should" Sam replied tearing his attention away from Jalen, over to Addison who bent down to talk to the boy

"The pizza is in the kitchen. So get a plate and get however many slices you want" Addison told the boy as he simply just did as he was told. Both Addison and Sam looked on at the boy, both unable to take their eyes off of him for one second before Addison finally looked back over at Sam. "I'm sorry but I had to. They didn't even let him say good-bye to his mother Sam" she quickly said

"We should've talked" Sam simply replied

"I know but I just couldn't leave without him with me" Addison replied "He lost his mother, and….when I went in there it was like he was finally relieved to see someone he knew because in the span of one day, his world has been ripped apart and I just couldn't walk away" she said

"So you though to do what?" Sam asked not really giving a clear cut emotion of how he felt about this

"I thought I could bring him home with us until his dad shows up" Addison said as Sam just laughed to himself "Look, I know your upset but…" she said

"I'm not…I'm not upset" Sam said as he shook his head

"Then what are you because it's a little hard to tell right now" Addison said trying to read him as he couldn't tear his gaze away from the boy who was just a little man in his eyes

"I'm a lot of things that I'm not even sure I can describe" Sam sighed as she sat on the back of the sofa

"I don't understand" Addison said confused

"He…" Sam said as his eyes became watery "He needs to be here" he said turning to look at her and in that moment Addison felt like she was missing something with him, like he was going through something that she knew nothing about and wished that she did

"What's going on?" Addison asked as he caressed his face "What's wrong?" she asked in concern

"Uh…we're all he's got….we just, he needs to be here" Sam replied before he straightened up and leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek

"Okay" Addison replied unsure to take this as a victory or defeat "But you? How do you feel?" she asked

"It doesn't matter about me. In this moment, I think he needs something stable…and I'm not sure or certain, but I think that's us" Sam told her "I think that's us" he said before he quickly leaned in to kiss her forehead before they both just turned their attention back to Jalen.

* * *

He was doing his best to not pay too much attention to the clock, but he was slowly starting to realize that Amelia should have been home by now. Doing all that he could to stop himself from being paranoid, Marcus busied himself by cleaning up the house or organizing the movies or clearing out the dvr of the stuff he had finished watching or playing Wii. With everything that happened, he did find himself going a little stir crazy as to where she was or if she was any danger. All day long he wondered about the next step they had taken in the relationship, but it was a break from worrying so much about if she was in danger or if she was okay…being outside that hospital he just felt like every ounce of control he had worked hard to gain back over the years came crashing down on him when he met her, but in a way he wanted to take that step with her, he wanted to see what they could become. Unable to go along with the distraction any longer, he turned off the game system and quickly grabbed his car key to go find her. Just as he opened the door, he was shocked to see her on the other side.

"Hey" Marcus said

"Hey" Amelia replied as they both just stood there unsure of what to say to the other

"Uh…I was just about to come find you. I was worried and I hadn't talked to you since this morning, so….this was me being concerned" Marcus told her shyly as she ran her hand through her hair

"I had to, I had to think and get away" Amelia replied "After surgery I mean" she corrected

"Yeah, I get that. I mean you've been through a lot and its understandable" Marcus said

"Yeah" Amelia said as silence came between them and at this point, Marcus was just so unsure of himself

"You know, I wish that I didn't care about this kind of crap but I do…I care a lot about this, I care a lot about you and I feel like….I feel like I'm tossed in the air waiting to come down" Marcus said as Amelia just looked at him

"I'm not sure I know what you mean?" Amelia asked

"We did something today that I haven't done in a long time. I just need to know…was I better when I was restricted or did we ruin this?" Marcus asked with his heart on his sleeve

"You mean the sex" Amelia nodded

"The sex" Marcus laughed to himself "Is that what we're calling it now? I mean I haven't had the sex in a long time, so to me it kind of is a bit more than that" he said

"I'm sorry" Amelia quickly apologized "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't…" she said before he took her hand in his

"I don't want apologies. I just need to know…not about the sex, but about us in general" Marcus said as her eyes watered up "Is there something I'm missing here?" he asked feeling as if his breath was escaping him. Closing her eyes, he could tell that she was clenching back tears

"I'm trying but I….I'm not strong" Amelia said as a tear fell from her eyes "I don't know how else to explain it" she told him

"Just tell me what's on your mind, I think I can fill in the rest" Marcus said feeling his heart break with every second "I mean is this…is this over?" he asked as she quickly put her hand to his face

"No" Amelia said shaking her head and in that moment, Marcus felt like he was somewhat at peace before he leaned in to kiss her. Breaking the kiss, he then leaned in once more to give her sweet kiss before he put her hands to his face

"Then what's going on?" Marcus asked as tears welled up in both of their eyes

"I almost…" Amelia said as tears streamed down her face before Marcus leaned in to kiss her forehead "I need help. I'm trying to pretend like I can get through it, but I can't…I need to be normal, and I don't feel normal" she sobbed as he just pulled her close

"Your normal" Marcus said as rubbed her back "Your normal" he continued to say to her as she just cried "We're gonna go to the meetings, and we're going to be fine. We'll be fine, its just one step at a time…one step" he said in a soothing voice


	17. Love & Basketball

Chapter Seventeen- Love & Basketball

Her eyes slowly began to flutter open as the sun came through, slowly beginning to move she began to realize that his arms were rested on her. With her body nestled within his, she felt the bareness of his body up against hers as she too were naked. The first time they had slept together she hadn't really processed the magnitude of what that meant to him, but now that she was able to see it for herself, it became so clear to her that they as a couple had made a huge step. The past couple of days he had been the perfect boyfriend, if there ever was a such thing, but if there were, he was it. He'd put in long hours at work doing pro-bono surgeries for those who were hurt at the clinic that day, so the little time he did have, he would always be right by her side when she would go to meetings. Some would think that it'd be easy for him to go to meetings since he was an addict himself, hell some would say that a relationship between two addicts would be a recipe for disaster, but he made it work. Turning to look at him, she caressed his face as she just tried to take in every feature that made him so unique to her. The lips that contained the smile that made her day, when she was having a bad one. The eyes, that mocked her when she was taking herself so seriously. The ears that made him a great listener even when she was just being stupid. The nose that grew to know her scent, that way whenever she tried to hide…he'd always manage to find her. In this moment, it was as if she was understanding for herself that love was possible and that it could make the simplest of things feel like everything.

"That feels good" Marcus sighed as he snuggled up closer to her "You know what else would be good?" he asked

"What?" Amelia asked as she caressed the top of his head with gentle strokes

"Eggs, with bacon. Then with some hash browns on the side" Marcus smiled in his sleep

"And who exactly is creating this meal?" Amelia asked

"You. In my dreams you were cooking all sorts of food, and I was just getting so fat" Marcus told her "So fat that I couldn't even play basketball this weekend" he said

"But you've been preparing for your big tournament. You even put it on the grocery list, get milk to be strong for my tournament is what you put it as" Amelia laughed

"Don't you notice my guns?" Marcus said as he began to flex his muscles still half asleep while all she could do was laugh "Milk does a body good, doesn't it?" he teased as he leaned up to kiss her

"Oh, yes…I'm seeing immediate results as we speak" Amelia said breaking the kiss

"I've all ready got you feigning for me. You might not even make it this weekend because you'll be too busy blowing up my phone" Marcus joked as she hit him with her pillow

"I would not" Amelia declared

"It's okay, it's okay. It's clear that your obsessed with me….you even have a picture of me on your bedside" Marcus said propping himself up on his arm to look over at the picture that was on her bedside

"You put that there, I didn't take a picture of you and frame it" Amelia laughed

"But you still kept it over there. You kiss it every night then kiss me" Marcus laughed as she sat up in the bed

"Now your delusional" Amelia replied

"But seriously, are you going to be okay this weekend?" Marcus asked her

"Yes, I will be fine. I have a meeting tomorrow then I'm hanging out with Addison and Sam" Amelia told him

"Oh, the modern Walton's as I come to call them" Marcus teased "Because if you want then I can back out of the tournament" he told her

"You wouldn't back out" Amelia replied knowing that was a lie

"I would back out. I would just say that my girlfriend is obsessed with me and I haven't weened you off of me quite yet" Marcus said

"And then when people see through that load of bulls…" Amelia said before Marcus raised his hand to her mouth to cover it

"Calm down sailor" Marcus told her "But you are right though, I'm excited for the tournament because I have been working out like crazy with Bruce" he told her

"I know. You've been showing up to work all sweaty and with extra clothes" Amelia smiled

"Because of the morning workouts, I'm telling you. I feel like Michael Jordan on the court….its like I can fly on the court, to where I'm dunking on anyone and everything" Marcus said hyping himself up

"I bet" Amelia said just as his phone began to ring before he reached over to grab it

"Hey" Marcus answered as he got up from the bed "Yeah, I've got time" he said making his way into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Finding it a bit odd that he closed the door behind him, she sat up in the bed looking on strangely over at the door.

* * *

Making her way out of the bathroom as she brushed her teeth, Addison looked on at Sam as he sat in the bed flipping through brochures of schools for Jalen. They had been in the process of adopting him and everything was pretty much set, but now they had to find the perfect school that would suit him. Addison was pro-private school all the way while Sam teetered between private and public so that Jalen would have that interaction with kids that he would see in the real world. The need to get it right with him weighed heavily on both of their minds as they didn't want to make a mistake that would back track the progress that they were making with Jalen. Although Jalen had his problems getting a full nights worth of sleep, he was mostly spending the past two weeks adjusting to the couple. Laying his head back up against the headboard, Sam sighed in frustration as all it seemed like he was doing these days was looking at brochures and second guessing himself over what he thought was right to what he wanted to be right…everything had so many questions that he wasn't sure he had the answers to.

"I think the Belmont is a really good school" Addison told him

"They're all good schools Addie, but I still think that this is a bit overwhelming" Sam sighed

"Yes, its overwhelming but we don't have time to just kick our heels up and relax on this. We have to get him on the right path so the adoption agency will see that we're the right people for him" Addison said

"I know, I just…I've seen so many brochures" Sam said as Addison couldn't help but laugh

"All those words getting to you" Addison teased as he got up from the bed to walk over towards her to pull her into a quick kiss

"No, I'm good with words" Sam smiled "And other things" he told her as he rubbed her ever growing stomach

"I think other things will have to wait until we get things going with Jalen" Addison laughed

"You do know that those other things help you relax, and I know that you've…"Sam said

"Yeah, using that as a way to convince me….isn't gonna go well for you" Addison laughed before they heard a loud thump come from downstairs. Looking at each other with a look of panic on their face, they both immediately rushed down the stairs with Sam making sure to guide Addison as best as he could. Opening the door, Jalen stood sat on the floor with his knees brought up to his chest as he just cried looking on at the lamp.

"Jay…Jay. What's wrong?" Sam asked coming to his side while Addison picked up the lamp to put back up on the drawer

"It's okay. It's just a lamp. We can buy another one sweetheart" Addison said coming over to where they were as she tried to help Sam sooth him

"I broke the lamp" Jalen cried as he began to tremble "I broke the lamp and she was mad" he said in between sobs as Sam and Addison looked at each other

"Who? Who was mad?" Addison asked

"My mom. I broke the lamp and she was mad. I shouldn't have broke the lamp that morning….then maybe she'd be here….that was her favorite lamp" Jalen cried

"Listen to me" Sam said grabbing a hold of the boys shoulders "Your mom did not leave because of a lamp. She left because a bad man took her, okay?" he told the boy hoping he understood

"That's right" Addison agreed "This isn't your fault" she told him

"But I….I never fixed it" Jalen said

"Oh, that's no biggie…Sam breaks stuff all the time and never fixes it" Addison smiled as the boy turned to look at her

"Does he get in trouble? because my mom was mad and put me on timeout" Jalen asked as Sam just looked at Addison, wondering how she was going to go about this

"Well, I get mad but then he makes up for it on my own special timeout" Addison said beginning to laugh towards the end

"Yeah, she has special time outs for me" Sam laughed

"What happens on these special timeouts? Will I get one?" Jalen asked

"Uh…no, you won't have these timeouts until your much, much, much, much, much, much…." Sam said before Addison jumped in

"Much, much, much, much later in life" Addison concluded

"How much later?" Jalen asked

"Let's just say you'll have hair on your chin when that happens" Addison replied

"Do you think we can fix the lamp?….the one I broke?" Jalen asked

"Anything broken can be fixed…sometimes" Addison said

"Basically that means yes" Sam confirmed "In fact, I do think there is something we can do today that will help us all adjust to the new rules" he said as both Jalen and Addison looked at him

* * *

Sitting at the counter, Marcus munched away on his bowl of cereal as he finished up a text that he was doing. To say he was excited for the tournament would have been an understatement because at this point, his thoughts and his whole focus for the day was basketball. He had arranged with his agent to be checked in at his hotel for five so that he could make it to the arena because he wanted to go to a meeting with Amelia. Leaving her for the weekend did plague him because he had pretty much gotten use to being with her, and ever since the hospital accident, he wanted to keep her under lock and key. When the opportunity had arose for him to use his basketball skills for good, Marcus was a little skeptical about playing just because he didn't want to go away, but when he had managed to convince the sponsors to invest in clinics in the communities for low income families. So with all that he had managed to work out, he was able to make this trip more than just business but charitable in a sense where he was actually making a difference. Golden was one of the sponsors that he had been partnered with, and along with his partnership came a team member for the so called celebrity, Lisa Hamilton. Lisa had been very helpful in mixing his ideas in with hers. Coming down the stairs putting the final earring in her ear, Amelia looked over to see Marcus on the phone texting…again.

"Did you save any cereal for me?" Amelia asked as she walked into the kitchen to open up the fridge

"Yeah. Captain Crunch has more to be desired" Marcus said as he got from his seat on the stool to wash out his bowl "See…I'm getting better with the cleaning and all" he laughed as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss before returning back to washing his bowl

"So…who were you talking to earlier?" Amelia asked

"Sponsors for the tournament" Marcus replied

"Oh, sponsors" Amelia said "Have you met these sponsors?" she asked

"Yes, I have spent much time with the sponsors…kind of have to, seeing as I want everything to go off perfectly" Marcus said before he turned to lean up against the counter "Worrying about he sponsors is the last thing I need on my mind, when I'm…" he said before she cut him off

"Hooping it up, I know" Amelia laughed "You don't have to go today" she then said

"What? Why?" Marcus asked

"Because I know that your anxious to head out to Los Angeles" Amelia said "I mean you are playing in the Staples Center" she smiled

"Yes, I am" Marcus smiled "But I want to be with you, and I'm not accepting no for an answer" he said

"Okay, well I'll accept your proposal to stalk me" Amelia laughed as he poured her cereal into the bowl before she poured the milk in "So these sponsors, will they be there?" she asked

"Yeah, Lisa is always supporting her projects" Marcus said

"Lisa? As in girl name Lisa?" Amelia asked a little surprised, nearly choking on her cereal in the process

"Yes, as in girl name Lisa. She's my supervisor for the event" Marcus said

"The very supervisor slash sponsor you've been talking to?" Amelia asked

"That'd be her" Marcus smiled

"That's great….I mean you've been working with Lisa, the girl, who happens to be the person you've been spending so much time with outside of work…that's just great" Amelia replied sarcastically but he couldn't see that in the tone of her voice

"It is" Marcus smiled "I mean she's brilliant, I don't think I would have ever gotten nearly as much accomplished without her" he then said

"Just like your little savior or something…the light in the dark tunnel of sponsorship type of deal" Amelia added

"Exactly!" Marcus declared as Amelia couldn't help but grow more animosity towards this Lisa girl by the minute

"Will you excuse me one moment, I have to….to grab some sugar from next door…I'll be right back" Amelia said as she put her bowl to the side and quickly made her way out of the house

"Okay….." Marcus said a bit confused

"Her name is Lisa, Lisa!" Amelia vented to herself as she walked over to the sliding doors of the house "Light in the dark tunnel he says" she continued on as she opened the door to see Sam sitting in the living room packing up a basket

"Hey" Sam greeted just as Addison came down the stairs

"Let me just start by saying that I'm over here for venting reasons, so I'll ask the polite questions but this will ultimately lead back to me" Amelia warned her friends

"I all ready know what this is about. I had many, many moments like this" Addison said

"Oh, it's the woe me moment" Sam joked before Addison hit him on the arm

"Okay, now that we have established the ground rules. What's with the basket?" Amelia asked as she pointed out the basket

"We, are going to a funeral" Sam smiled as Amelia looked on with much confusion while Addison just shook her head

"Basket at a funeral? Did you hate this person and you just really want to stick it to them?….like ha! Your dead, finally" Amelia said

"What Sam is trying to say is that we're having a funeral for Jalen because he never got to be there, so we're going to give him that" Addison said

"That's a new thing to give a kid, but I'll trust your judgment" Amelia said "I think ass face might cheat on me" she then said

"What makes you think that?" Addison asked

"What? No! Marcus is not going to cheat on you" Sam said

"Spoken like a true guy" Addison replied

"You know how he's been working long hours and has his tournament tonight" Amelia said

"Yeah" Addison said

"Well the person he's been spending that time with is a woman….named Lisa!" Amelia said

"That means nothing" Sam sighed "I mean they were working together, and I've met Lisa" he said as Amelia rushed over towards him to sit next to him on the sofa

"Tell me about her" Amelia said desperately

"There is nothing to tell, she's just Lisa" Sam said trying to move away from her

"No, no, no. She's not just Lisa…Lisa is the other woman" Amelia said "Or the potential other woman" she said

"Okay, now your just being paranoid" Addison laughed as she made her way into the kitchen to grab a water

"He's been the perfect boyfriend…" Amelia began to say before Addison cut him off

"You said perfect and boyfriend as a joined word, that's a big step" Addison laughed

"Yes, I know. He's had to deal with the whole me possibly slipping back into my addiction, and he was right there, being all supportive. He even learned to clean up behind himself. I have basically trained him to what I wanted him to be, and now this Lisa tramp is going to take him" Amelia sighed

"You don't…you haven't even met her, let alone know her" Sam said

"Well what does this Lisa look like?" Addison asked as she sat down on the sofa across from them

"She looks womanish" Sam replied

"Womanish? Is she ugly?…that would help me if she was ugly" Amelia said trying to convince herself that she was getting worked up over nothing

"Finding out the other woman is ugly does help" Addison agreed as both Amelia and Addison turned their attention towards Sam

"So describe this Lisa?" Amelia asked

"There's really nothing to describe, I mean she's got hands. She's got a head, hair, teeth, two eyes, two feet, and other things….nothing special" Sam said as his eye began to twitch. Leaning in closer as she saw that Sam was trying to cover his face, Addison noticed a very significant sign that he was lying

"He's lying!" Addison declared before Amelia turned to hit him on the shoulder

"Sam!" Amelia said "Tell me" she said

"There is nothing you can really say, she's just a regular woman" Sam said as he tried his best to not twitch but he couldn't help it

"Just how regular is she Sam?" Addison asked as Jalen came running down the stairs

"Don't run down the staircase Jalen" Sam said to the little boy

"Focus on the bigger picture Sam" Amelia said jumping up on the sofa

"Don't jump on the sofa" Addison told her

"Tell me. Tell me. Tell me" Amelia said jumping up and down on the sofa "Tell me about Lisa" she said

"She's pretty" Jalen replied as both Addison and Amelia turned to look at him

"Pretty?" Amelia asked

"Uh, did you brush your teeth…I think you need to brush your teeth" Sam said

"No, he will brush after" Amelia said jumping off of the sofa to walk over to Jalen so that she could kneel down next to him "Okay, now how did the Lisa girl look?" she asked

"Pretty" Jalen replied

"Pretty as in compliment pretty to be nice or pretty like real pretty?" Amelia asked

"Is there really a difference?" Sam asked

"Yes!" Addison and Amelia said at the same time

"She was real pretty" Jalen replied as Amelia turned to look at her friends with a saddened face

* * *

Explaining death in general wasn't something that she wanted to do with the young boy, but Addison and Sam knew that there was nothing that they could skirt around when it came to the issue. That afternoon, Sam had arranged to get to buy a spot of land in the local park so that Jalen could have some sort of memory of his mother than just that of the day she was killed. Bringing plants, picnic baskets, and even the lamp from the office, they all made an event out of going to the park to do something that they figured would help Jalen. Seeing Sam like this made Addison realize more than anything how much she loved him, but then the thought of this might be an excuse for him to get out looking through brochures had came into her mind as well, regardless of what she thought, she knew that each day she found new ways to fall in love with him. Spreading out their blanket, they set up their picnic while Addison just sat with her sun glasses on her face while she looked at the two boys trying to make the perfect spread for all of them.

"You did good" Sam laughed as the two took their seats on the blanket with Addison

"Thank you" Jalen replied shyly

"Yeah, you did a great job. I mean you have all my favorites that I'm sure I'll only be able to look at, seeing as the person who packed the basket is a stickler on food" Addison commented on all the good food they had laid out then concentrated on the zip loc bag full of celery and carrots

"It figures you'd use this as an opportunity to pig out" Sam laughed

"It's a picnic Sam, I think any person would see this as a chance to pig out" Addison replied

"Do you guys to a lot of picnics?" Jalen asked

"Uh, we do it every now and then" Sam replied

"Only when he's trying to be nice to me" Addison corrected

"Yes, only when I'm trying to be nice" Sam laughed "What did you and your mom use to do?" he then asked

"We used to go to the park on her days off. We would get popsicles and lay in the grass" Jalen said

"That sounds like fun, my mom would never do something like that in fear of ruining her dress" Addison laughed at the thought of Bizzy doing something like that "So on that note Jalen, your very lucky you had a mom that would do that stuff with you" she smiled

"Now we won't be able to that stuff together anymore" Jalen replied sadly

"You can still do that stuff. I happen to love popsicles and this pregnancy has made me super lazy so me laying anywhere is a possibility" Addison told him

"But its different with you" Jalen said

"Its going to be because I don't ever want to take the place of your mom. I just want to make you realize that your mom will always be with you, no one will take your memories away from you, in fact I want you to keep those memories so that whenever you can teach me about yourself" Addison said

"Teach you about me? But you're the adult, you should know everything" Jalen laughed

"You would think, but I have come to the realization that I will never know everything, nor do I want to" Addison smiled

"Not knowing everything is a good thing" Sam said as he snacked on his apple

"So whenever I want to do something I can just tell you guys?" Jalen asked

"Yes. Whatever you want to do" Sam said

"Now, I need to ask you a very important question, a question that is detrimental to the face of man kind" Addison told the young boy

"What?" Jalen asked

"How would you feel about living with Sam and I?" Addison asked

"Would I have to go back to that other home?" Jalen asked as Sam and Addison just laughed

"No, you wouldn't have to go to that other home. We would like for your home to be our home now" Sam smiled

"How long do I have?" Jalen asked

"Wow, you like to get all your facts together….I see a little mini lawyer in our future, which will heartbreaking for Sam because he likes to think he breeds doctors" Addison teased "You can stay until your old and grey if necessary because not only will our home be your home, it also comes with the tag of us adopting you" she said

"What is adoption?" Jalen asked

"Adoption, is when you take in someone that needs help because you truly care and want to be a part of that persons life" Sam told him "Or at least that's my version of it" he laughed

"So I need help?" Jalen asked

"No, we need help. We need lots of help. You see, I'm about to have a baby pretty soon, and your like the perfect kid….so we were thinking you could train us to be good parents for the one on the way, and since we can't afford your high prices we traded it off paying you for letting you stay with us forever" Addison said

"Yes, I like to believe I'm an uncool dad, I've taken many therapy sessions to help with that notion but I think you may be the one thing that will help me be better. It'll kind of be like your adopting us in the real sense" Sam said

"So I have to teach you two?" Jalen asked

"Basically. We're hopeless and your our last option" Addison smiled "Will you adopt us?" she asked

"Do I have to go to school? I saw a bunch of brochures and they all look weird" Jalen said

"Weird wouldn't really be the word for it…" Sam began to say before Addison interrupted

"They're great schools, but yes, you will have to go to school so we can keep you smart so you can teach us" Addison said

"Do you have a school in mind?" Sam asked

"I would like to go to school with science" Jalen beamed

"Science school, we can do that" Addison smiled "What else?" she asked

"I want to go to a school with a big playground" Jalen said

"Oh that was all ready factored in" Sam told him

* * *

It was a tough battle, but Marcus's team, The Knights, were able to beat out their first round opponent to advance. There wasn't much motivation needed for his teammates because being in the heart of Los Angeles and the unlimited access they had was just so incredible that they couldn't even picture leaving. The big thrill for Marcus was the fact that he was playing in the Staples Center, although he was a huge Lebron James fan, he still idolized the fact that this was the place that Kobe Bryant played at. He was starting to feel more and more like a kid in a candy store as he headed down the hallways after coming out of the players locker room that the Lakers used. Sipping on his water bottle, Marcus was surprised to see Lisa waiting for him. Most of his teammates had teased him about the fact that his supervisor, in which he was working with was just super hott, but Marcus thought nothing of it. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't occasionally look at her but there was just nothing that made him feel like he had to give her his best game. After the game, the team captains were supposed to go to a press conference to do interviews for the local media and even the well known media, so he wasn't too caught off guard that she was going to be walking with him to the press conference so that she could prep him for what questions might be asked. Walking through the halls they got a few glances, but he didn't pay it much attention because he was just used to it by now. Taking their seats at the table, Marcus laughed to himself as they made it so obvious that they wanted the two to sit together by making sure there seats were marked next to each other.

Rushing over towards the television in the bar, Amelia found herself getting herself situated that way moving wouldn't have to be an option until after the press conference. She hated that she was that type of girl, where she wanted to support everything and anything her boyfriend did, but she couldn't help it…she wasn't going to see him until Sunday night and looking at him on television seem to be the replacement of his physical presence. Watching him leave this morning did suck, and although she played it off like she was happy that she'd have the house to herself, she did find herself regretting that she had even made him think that. Seeing the names appear on screen as to who was at the podium, her eyes couldn't help but widen as she saw the infamous Lisa that she heard about all morning long. The smile that she had on her face just by the sight of him soon found itself turning into a scowl as Lisa was beyond pretty…she was freakin hott.

"Now that we have all of our guests. Let's get things going with questions from the media" The host said as Marcus closed the top to his bottle while the host pointed out to one person to speak

"Question for Marcus, have you ever thought of playing basketball professionally?" The guy asked

"Uh…yes. I like to believe that I'm the next Michael Jordan" Marcus joked as laughter ensued within the room "But, I like being a doctor…I'm Michael Jordan in the operating room" he smiled. Amelia laughed to herself as she just loved the fact that he was cocky just in general

"I have in fact proposed the idea to him, but he won't bite" Lisa quickly said as Marcus just laughed

"You seem to be a frequent player when it comes to celebrity tournaments, have you joined a league?" The girl asked

"I have actually thought about doing that, I do play with a few of my friends, who happen to be basketball players, but I haven't really done so yet" Marcus said "But I probably will in the near future, depending on this tournament" he said

"Your being sponsored by Golden, how did that partnership come about?" The girl asked

"Well, I think Lisa can handle that question, but I will say that I was looking to turn this into more than just celebrities playing basketball…I wanted to do something that would go beyond this weekend and really set the precedence for years to come" Marcus said

"Yeah, I mean working with Marcus has been an amazing experience because his vision goes beyond this weekend. Golden of course is a company that wants to impact the future in a positive way, so the mere fact that we sponsor someone that is a hero in the operating room and through the media to some is huge for us. We have the double threat type of deal" Lisa answered

"You've made a name for yourself in the industry as to creating superstars, is that what your doing with Marcus?" The man asked

"I certainly don't think that Marcus needs to be made into a superstar. I think he's perfect…"Lisa said as people gave waves of awws at the cuteness in that statement, but Amelia couldn't help but glare at the woman for making such a predictable pick up line

"It's really not hard to believe that I'm so perfect" Marcus joked

"Of course you'd say that" Lisa laughed at Marcus "No, he's the package. He's a great guy with a great sense of humor, and on top of that he's a doctor…so he's all ready a superstar" she blushed

"Do you feel as if your merger will bring more awareness just due to the fact of both of your stature?" The guy asked

"I hope. I mean this is when you use your success for good as opposed to living it up as they say. She's brilliant in what she does and I like to believe that we together can do a lot of good" Marcus answered

"I agree. Marcus is well known for being the Dr. Feel Good in the sports world, so it was bound for us to meet" Lisa laughed "But, I've always been a fan of his work, so I think with both of our stature as you call it, it will lead to something big" she said

"Now you two are well known in the sports world, do you find yourselves in mutual circles?" The girl asked

"Yes. I've always heard about her, so it's a pleasure to meet her, finally" Marcus replied as Amelia laughed to herself in disbelief at how a guy always manages to show their true colors when around a playboy model

"I feel the same way" Lisa laughed

"So would you it be silly to link you two together romantically?" The girl asked as Amelia nearly choked on her drink

"Uh…I think that…I mean she would be my type" Marcus joked "But I think I'm well out of her league" he teased

"Your in it" Lisa quickly replied trying to make a joke but it didn't come off that way to Amelia. Not pleased with how the answers were going so far, Amelia grabbed her keys and made a mad dash for the exit and in a matter of seconds she was in her car off and pulling off into the street "No, but I think Marcus is a very happy guy in a relationship" she said as she turned to smile at him

"That is true. I'm like what Trey Songz likes to say…already taken" Marcus laughed

"Can you tell us about the lucky girl?" The girl asked

"She's really pretty" Lisa quickly commented as Marcus just laughed

"She's…she's more of perfection than I'd ever be" Marcus replied as the girls in the room just awed at the statement "Yeah, I know…I'm that guy. No, I mean I think its easy to get wrapped up and say that these people look cute together, but I think its easier when you don't get caught up in that. I like who I'm with, and she's something that I have prayed for…so don't buy into the whole celebrity look cute together thing" he replied "I hope she's watching this so I can get brownie points for when I do mess up" he laughed

* * *

Looking on at the young boy as he slept so peacefully in the bed, Addison couldn't help but smile just at the thought of actually having a little person in the house. She hadn't experienced the feeling of being a mother, and when she did it was something that was temporary, but having him here with them just made her heart finally feel like it was full of happiness that she just couldn't explain. Closing the door to the room, she made her way back to her bedroom with the biggest of smiles on her face. Pulling up his pajama bottoms as she entered the room, Sam turned back to look at the red head and could see that she was happy. He couldn't help but smile himself as her smiling made him smile, getting in the bed, Sam put the brochures to the side on his nightstand, just glad that he didn't have to deal with that tonight and that they could focus on other things besides schools now. Today had been a huge step for their little patchwork family, but it was a step they felt they were both ready to take with each other. Joining him in the bed, Addison snuggled up to his body just wanting to be close to him in any form possible.

"Today was great, don't you think?" Addison asked him

"Yeah, it was great" Sam smiled "We had a mini funeral, we talked with him, and we finally have knowledge as to what school he wants to go to…today was successful" he said

"Thank you for today, I mean thank you for everything involving Jay. I feel like this is something that has made me realize just how much I want to have that family with you, and how I want to have many more timeouts to come with you" Addison teased him towards the end as they both just laughed

"I look forward to those timeouts by the way" Sam laughed

"I bet" Addison agreed "I just feel like this is what we're supposed to be doing" she said

"Well we are a team now. You're the point guard and I'm the center" Sam said

"Why can't I be the center?" Addison asked

"Because I do all the dribbling and fancy footwork" Sam said

"True. True" Addison laughed

"And if I haven't told you by now, I think today just showed why you'd make a great mom" Sam said leaning in to kiss her

"I just can't believe we put a lamp out at the memorial site" Addison laughed "I mean we actually had flowers and a lamp" she smiled "I hope we're that corky of a family, it keeps things interesting" she said

"He got his closure on the lamp, it was cool. I just I look at him and think of the mini basketball player he'll become or the doctor…" Sam smiled as Addison quickly sat up in the bed

"That's right, we still have time to convert him into a doctor. I mean you heard it Sam, he wants to go to a school with a great science program" Addison beamed

"I know. He could be like our mini Marcus….doctor and athlete" Sam laughed

"Two boys. Who'd ever think I would have two boys" Addison smiled

"He could be like a fusion of Kobe and Lebron" Sam said still stuck in the daze of raising the future doctor slash basketball player

"It's really killing you that you couldn't go to Los Angeles, huh?" Addison asked after she broke the kiss

"In some ways…yes, but the important things kept me here" Sam said "I mean who wants to be the sixth man, coming off of the bench" he shrugged

"Now the selfish answer?" Addison asked knowing that Sam was holding back

"Yes. It's really killing me" Sam laughed

"That would have been hott to see you playing in a uniform, in the Staples Center of all places. I would have felt like a groupie, hooking up with a ball player" Addison laughed

"Ball player? Look who's finally learning the lingo" Sam laughed

"That would have done wonders for our sex life" Addison joked

"It still could. I have my basketball and my jersey…then you have the new pumps" Sam teased

"We can't…Sam?" Addison said hitting him on the arm

"He's downstairs" Sam reasoned

"But still…what if he gets scared and comes looking for us" Addison laughed

"It'll be quick, we're role playing…I don't have time to be romantic anyways if I'm a ball player" Sam joked as she just laughed at his efforts

"Well we can't do it in the bed" Addison said slowly getting out of the bed as she began to unplug the clock

"I'm down with where ever you want to take it" Sam declared as he hopped out of the bed noticing she was heading into the bathroom "What's with the clock?" he asked

"I'm holding you to game regulations" Addison smiled seductively

"Its really quite sexy to see that your picking up the terminology" Sam said as he walked over towards her before she pulled him into a deep kiss "I mean its really sexy" he smiled as they stumbled into the bathroom, making sure to leave a crack in the door so they could hear

* * *

In a quick pace, Amelia made her way into the hotel lobby and went up to the front desk. On the drive over she hadn't really processed what her thought plan would be on how she would confront him, but the current obstacle was going to be her trying to get up to his room. She was out of her mind, and she couldn't just stop and think because her mind was beyond that. Lisa wasn't just the average pretty like she had thought, the woman was a knockout, who was clearly into Marcus. On occasion she would run the idea in her head that he cared about her and he wouldn't just up and cheat on her like that, especially since they had taken such a huge step in their relationship recently….all those thoughts were just fleeting to her because the big thing was that he was cute. Marcus wasn't the typical guy she would date, and that's what made things so difficult. He was cocky, he was cute, he was hott, he was athletic in the sense where he could be a professional athlete, he was a doctor in a field that gave him so much access to girls like Lisa, and he was just not the guy she saw herself dating but she couldn't help but have strong feelings for him. Doing her best to reason with the clerk, Amelia tried not to bring bribery into it but she had to, slipping the clerk a hundred dollar bill made him think for a moment but he ultimately still turned it down. Just as she turned to pace the floor, she heard a familiar laugh within the lobby that made her stop in a panic for a second. Looking over at the entrance to the hotel, she was surprised to see Marcus dressed up in a suit and tie with a group of guys as if he were going out.

"Shepperd, what are you doing here?" Marcus asked surprised to see her

"I…I just stopped by" Amelia said unable to get off a good lie

"You just stopped by? So you came from Malibu all the way to Los Angeles for a stop in visit?" Marcus asked her a bit skeptical of her reason

"Yeah" Amelia said before he turned towards his friends

"I'll meet up with you guys later" Marcus told his friends as they agreed to meet up with him before they turned to leave. Turning back towards Amelia, Marcus couldn't help but look on in confusion as to why she would just stop in, but he feared that the possible reason would be a bad thing, and that she had given in all while he had left "Did you?" he asked her

"No. No. I was just driving and….I just remembered that you were in Los Angeles" Amelia said trying to play it off "This is really a nice hotel. I mean its all ritzy and everything" she laughed nervously

"Sheperd, this is me your talking to" Marcus smiled as she just couldn't help but think how much of a cocky bastard he was for thinking he had gotten away with something she knew about

"Your right, this is you we're talking about" Amelia said a smile slowly came to her face right before she kneed him in the private area causing him to fall to his knees in pain

"What the hell?" Marcus grunted

"Yeah, what the hell is the right terminology? If you were that eager to screw someone else then you should have just broke up with me. I mean could you be anymore obvious at your little press conference with little miss Lisa…you should have just tattooed your name on her ass because that's what you were kissing. I mean how could I be so stupid to think that you were actually for real…like you were the one, it a stupid and corny way" she vented

"What are you talking about?" Marcus asked as he slowly rose to his feet "I never did anything with Lisa" he said

"Question, would you two be involved romantically. Your answer, she is my type. Conclusion, busted asshole. I watched the press conference and I saw how you were with her" Amelia said trying not to let too much of her emotions show

"You saw the press conference" Marcus sighed

"Yeah, every bit of it or at least the parts that didn't make me hurl" Amelia said

"I thought you'd appreciate what I said? I mean I basically put my heart out there, and I don't do heart talks" Marcus reasoned

"Yes, I appreciate you hitting on a playboy model for the media to see…I get it. I really do. We're both screwed up in our own ways that its kind of dumb of us to think we could work because we're both addicts, but I just….I thought that since that night we shared together…." Amelia said as her eyes became watery while Marcus just tried to zone in on what she was saying because he was just baffled "After everything we've gone through, I just thought I'd…we'd mean something to you…" she said before he interrupted

"Okay, stop. Stop right there" Marcus told her "You mean the world to me" he said

"You hit on another girl on television!" Amelia yelled "What world do I mean something to you? When you do something like that…it's like your not even putting in the effort to cheat on me" she yelled

"So all this is about the press conference?" Marcus asked

"Yes, I caught you…its on tape, I saw with my own eyes how you were with Lisa!" Amelia told him really feeling like she had busted him now while he dug in his pants pocket to pull out his cell phone

"You see, I had this strange voice saying that I should get proof, but then I kept saying no, it'll be fine. Then you show up at my hotel, after you made it clear that you'd be fine for the weekend…" Marcus began to say as he searched through his phone

"Oh, don't blame your cheating on me. Yes, I had a little setback recently but I stuck it out with your no sex deal…and that was big on my behalf because I happen to love having sex" Amelia replied as he held the phone up with the video of the press conference playing on it. Looking at him, feeling even more insulted that he had the nerve to show it again "Really? Again, like the first time wasn't embarrassing enough" she said trying to push the phone away

"Will you just shut up and look at the parts you clearly missed?" Marcus asked

"I really don't care to see you get the digits or come up with your couple name" Amelia said before he turned the volume up on the phone so she could hear

"Your in it" Lisa quickly replied and like the first time it did not impress Amelia to hear how desperate she was to get Marcus, who was sitting there like an idiot buying in to what she was saying "No, but I think Marcus is a very happy guy in a relationship" she said as she turned to smile at him. Unsure if she had heard the right thing, Amelia leaned in closer trying to focus on what was being said because it sounded like Lisa deflected any possible relationship between Marcus and her. A slow smile came to his face as he started to see that Amelia was beginning to regret her actions as she watched

"That is true. I'm like what Trey Songz likes to say…already taken" Marcus laughed

"Can you tell us about the lucky girl?" The girl asked

"She's really pretty" Lisa quickly commented as Marcus just laughed. Not wanting to show how much she was blushing at this point, Amelia put her hands to her face trying to block the smile that was plastered all over her face

"She's…she's more of perfection than I'd ever be" Marcus replied as the girls in the room just awed at the statement "Yeah, I know…I'm that guy. No, I mean I think its easy to get wrapped up and say that these people look cute together, but I think its easier when you don't get caught up in that. I like who I'm with, and she's something that I have prayed for…so don't buy into the whole celebrity look cute together thing" he replied "I hope she's watching this so I can get brownie points for when I do mess up" he laughed. Once the video had stopped, he closed his phone and turned his attention to the embarrassed brunette.

"So…tonight was fun, I should go" Amelia said trying to make a quick exit but Marcus had managed to grab onto her arm

"Not so fast" Marcus smiled as he pulled her towards him "I think you owe me an apology" he laughed

"No, I told you I was just stopping in…" Amelia said still trying to avoid her clear missunderstanding

"Sheperd, give it up all ready" Marcus laughed

"I'm sorry" Amelia declared "There I said it, but you can't blame me for thinking that you would go for someone like that. I'm screwed up and I know you've been supportive of everything that's happened but…I'm still me at the end of the day, and I'm a mess, I picky, I get annoyed easily, I hog the covers, and I really love sex" she said "Sometimes I'm surprised that we haven't crashed and burn all ready" she then added

"As am I" Marcus laughed "But like I said at the press conference, your as about as close to perfection as I've ever known. I like us, I like the screwed up us. Most importantly, I love you" he said

"Oh, no….you said it" Amelia laughed "We weren't supposed to be that couple" she continued to laugh

"I know, we conformed at the last minute" Marcus teased "But I do, I love you. I know my past doesn't speak highly of me, but I finally found something that makes me fight to be better and its you….so I don't want to screw this up, not for anything" he told her

"Even if I'm some crazed bitch that shows up thinking you cheated?" Amelia asked

"Even if" Marcus smiled

"Then in that case, I care about you two" Amelia teased

"Sheperd" Marcus said

"Fine, I love you" Amelia said before she lead him over towards the elevator

"Where are we going now?" Marcus asked

"Sex. Lots of sex" Amelia said as she hit the elevator button to go up "Your amazing in the sack, and I think the best way to punish me for being a crazed woman is to make me have amazing sex with you" she teased as he leaned in to kiss her

"You sure you don't want dinner?" Marcus asked breaking the kiss as they made their way onto the elevator

"There's always room service" Amelia smiled as they held hands


End file.
